After the Fall
by slayerchick303
Summary: Felicity learns that Oliver has been killed during his duel with Ra's al Ghul. She is overjoyed when he arrives home alive, until he reveals his plan for dealing with the League of Assassins. Can Felicity stand by and risk Oliver's plan to eliminate the Demon's Head failing? Can she lose the man she loves again? Rated M for occasional mature language, mild violence, and lemons.
1. Chapter 1

*****Author's Note*****

My father died at the beginning of this year. He was the biggest _Arrow_ fan. He was always recommending _Arrow_ to me. I saw a couple of random episodes with him after I had had spinal surgery and was staying with my parents. I liked it a lot but I hadn't gotten a chance to actually watch the show from the beginning until now, so I didn't really understand it a whole lot. I just finished binge-watching it and I totally understand why my father was obsessed with it. It is one of those rare perfect shows. I ship Olicity soooo much! _*Spoiler!*_ It absolutely rips my heart out that Oliver and Felicity broke up. I totally saw it coming, but I really hope that they get back together. If they don't, it'll devastate me.

This fan-fiction takes place in season 3 when Oliver goes to duel Ra's al Ghul after he takes responsibility for his sister, Thea, unknowingly murdering Sara Lance. This is my first attempt at fan-fiction, so please be gentle with your critiques. I don't expect this to be good by any means. I'd appreciate any feedback for improvement you can give me. Feel free to contact me if you're interested in being a Beta for me too. This story is rated M for occasional mature language and eventual lemons.

 **After the Fall**

 _Chapter 1_

 **~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Fighting the exhaustion that threatened to overtake her, Felicity stood alone in her office at Palmer Technologies and gazed out the window. Her continuous lack of sleep over the past several days was starting to eat at her intellectually, physically, and emotionally. Being occupied by something important or engrossing was the only thing that gave her moments of respite from the angst that dominated her mind of late. Felicity found she was losing herself in her work at Palmer Technologies and The Foundry and spending less and less time at home.

The blackness of the night outside did nothing to calm her overactive and anxious thoughts. The tiny patches of illumination from the lit office lights in nearby buildings seemed to reflect her mood. Felicity felt lost and awash in all-consuming worry, but she occasionally found something that gave her a tiny reminder of Oliver's love. She gripped onto those reminders and her dwindling hope with every fiber of strength she had left.

The shrill sound of her cell phone ringing broke through her revelry. She reached to glance at the caller ID and, as usual, hoped against all hope that Oliver's picture would be on the screen because he was alive and calling her. She was disappointed and concerned to see it was a blocked number. Decidedly, she answered the call with a slightly wary, "Hello."

"Hello, Miss Smoak," the voice said confidently. Fear, disgust, and anger seized her while shudder went through her body.

"What do you want, Malcolm?" demanded Felicity.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to relay some unwelcome information."

"What could you say that I… or we, could ever believe?" said Felicity, voice dripping with distain.

"This concerns Oliver. I successfully located where he went to duel Ra's al Ghul. I can tell you all with certainty now that Oliver did not survive." Malcolm said cautiously.

"I don't believe you. You're the reason he went there in the first place," Felicity said with disbelief and anger.

"You should believe me, Miss Smoak. I have no reason to lie about this. I truly believed Oliver would succeed in killing Ra's al Ghul. I did not want him to die. His death means my own, "Merlyn admitted. "My orchestration, and Oliver's failure, in this have doomed both me and my daughter to living as fugitives and ultimately experiencing a horrific death, I'm sure. This news will also devastate Thea. I know this will incur all of your hatred, but I cannot allow my daughter to live in denial any longer. None of you should. Oliver is gone," Malcolm finished firmly.

"This coming from a man who claims to love his daughter but made her murder a friend, then blackmailed Oliver to go fight for her. All to save your own ass! You don't care about anyone but yourself. Did you even see Oliver's body?" Felicity questioned aggressively.

"His body fell into a ravine so he cannot be recovered, but I have proof of his demise. Ra's al Ghul always leaves the instrument of murder at the location of his duels to lay claim and honor the fallen warrior he slew. A sword with Oliver's blood was left on the mountain where he and The Demon's Head dueled. Oliver _is_ dead," Malcolm replied seriously

"No. Oliver will come back. He always comes back," Felicity spoke assuredly.

"This truly pangs me as well. I looked on Oliver as a son. I will have to live with the guilt of Oliver's death the rest of my days. But you all need to accept that he is not coming back. I can see you love him and he certainly loved you…" Merlyn started.

With that, Felicity could not stand another syllable of Malcolm's deceit. She forcefully hung up her phone before he could finish his sentence. In no universe would she allow Malcolm Merlyn to talk about her and Oliver's love for each other. He had no idea what love was. He had absolutely no place commenting on theirs.

Felicity hadn't even had the opportunity to tell Oliver she loved him yet. She didn't know why she was so afraid to say "I love you" out loud to him. Oliver had told her he loved her several times now. It was the last words he spoke to her before leaving for the secret location where he would duel Ra's al Ghul. She wished with all her heart that she would have said it in response to his last declaration. Felicity now thought perhaps having told him the truth before he left for his duel would have given him even more motivation to succeed and return to her sooner.

Felicity wondered if the first time Oliver had told her he loved her was subconsciously sabotaging her efforts to confess her love to him. The first time Oliver had told Felicity he loved her she was sure it had been entirely a ruse to flush out and defeat Slade Wilson, who they discovered was secretly monitoring their conversation in attempts to discover the identity of Oliver's true love. Felicity was devastated to discover mid-confession from Oliver that his pronouncement of love had most likely been melodrama all along. After telling her he loved her, Oliver slyly handed her a weapon that would hurt Slade Wilson when their conversation assuredly drew Slade out of hiding. That was the moment she knew he hadn't meant what he said and it broke her heart.

Felicity had been slowly falling in love with Oliver since the moment they met, despite his initial many ridiculous lies to her and frequent emotional distance. She was too shocked by his admission of love in that moment to even admit to herself, never mind him, that she loved him back. Felicity was now profoundly grateful she hadn't previously realized she was in love with Oliver and therefore returned his sentiment in kind because she was still unsure if he meant it, and she most definitely wouldn't have wanted her first time telling Oliver she loved him being observed by Slade Wilson.

By then Felicity had become so angry that she was sure that if Malcolm Merlyn had been in front of her she would have physically assaulted him, even though doing so would have undoubtedly accomplished nothing. Malcolm Merlyn lied with every breath he took. He would never be trustworthy in regards to anything, never mind something as important as Oliver's survival.

Felicity resolved that telling Dig, Roy, or Laurel about her conversation with Malcolm Merlyn would be unnecessary. Telling them what Malcolm had said would only cause undue worry and strain on the group. When it was proven he had been lying about Oliver's death, they would discover they will have been upset (or at worst grieving) because Malcolm Merlyn was playing some twisted game all along. She would inform Team Arrow when she got legitimate information about Oliver's whereabouts and not sooner. She hated keeping something from the group but because of Merlyn's proclivity for falsehoods, she had no choice but to do so if she wanted to spare Diggle, Roy, Laurel, and eventually Thea from potential unwarranted heartache.

Suddenly wanting nothing more than to be out of her office and away from the conversation she'd had with Malcolm, Felicity grabbed her bag, turned off her computer, and headed towards her office doorway to leave. She dreaded going home and being without the distractions afforded by her office, but she had nowhere else to turn that wasn't enveloped by memories of Oliver. She'd simply have to survive until the morning when hopefully she would come back to her office and find a modicum of solitude in it again.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

 **~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

The next morning, Felicity arrived at the office three hours early despite lingering much longer than necessary at home. She had even taken her time painstakingly getting ready. She uncharacteristically went through the effort of styling her hair down, forgoing the convenience of her standard ponytail. After forcing herself to eat a minimal breakfast, she could no longer justify staying at home. As much as she truly wished she could curl up and sleep for once, she knew she had responsibilities at Palmer Tech. She had no idea how early she was leaving.

Felicity rarely slept recently and when she did it was short-lived, fitful, and plagued by nightmares about Oliver. The most recent nightmare had him drowning. A man in a terrifying mask akin to a ferocious monkey was forcibly holding a struggling Oliver down in a murky lake that seemed to stretch on without end. Felicity herself stood invisible, frozen, and screaming on the pebble-strewn lake shore. Her dreams always lingered on and on forever until Felicity woke with a strangled gasp and drenched in sweat. Oliver had to make it home. He just had to. Felicity could not survive this way if he didn't.

Felicity walked into her office, ready to do busywork until her first meeting in four hours. She accomplished many small tasks that either didn't need to be done by her or didn't need to be done at all. The distraction of work was slightly helpful to her state of mind. As the day went on, Felicity hosted and went to all meetings required of her but not for the first time since Oliver hadn't returned from his duel, people asked if she was okay or if she was ill. Felicity was obviously subdued to all those around her. She remained proficient at her job and dutiful, but she found it nearly impossible to find the fulfillment she had formerly found in her extensive role at Palmer Tech. All she could think of was Oliver and it was killing her.

After her final meeting of the day, Felicity headed back to her spacious office. She sat at her desk and went over her schedule for the upcoming week. She stretched out her arms above her and then her legs under the desk. She felt the relief in her legs as she stretched them further out. Felicity was glad the day was winding down and was starting to feel a rare sense of calm until she felt something scrape against her foot. There should have been nothing to obstruct her movement under her desk top, so she was curious to see what was there that shouldn't have been. She stood up from her desk chair, pushed it aside, and knelt down on the floor, tilting her head until she could see the area beneath the desk top where her legs and feet had been.

Felicity physically recoiled in horror at the red-stained sword she saw. Dear god. Someone had shoved a bloody sword just out of sight underneath the top surface of her desk. It slowly sunk in for Felicity that Malcolm Merlyn had surely put the sword there. After her initial worry of how he not only gained access to her office in the middle of the day but how he'd gotten in unrecognized while toting a blood-stained sword, she realized what the sword in fact was and why Malcolm had put it there.

Felicity's head spun. She wasn't sure whether she would faint, hack, cry, or some combination of all three. If Merlyn had been telling the truth on the phone last night, the sword was covered in Oliver's blood. She could hardly breathe at the thought. She stayed kneeling on the floor by her desk, staring at the sword. She was both terrified to touch it and desperate to get it to the lab to confirm that Malcolm had been lying about it being Oliver's blood and it being proof of his death.

Felicity knew she could not unwedge the sword from where it was in the desk without making a substantial amount of noise. Even if she could get it out, she had no way to move it out of her office and stay unnoticed by the remaining employees at Palmer Tech- most of whom were security personal and would undoubtedly be more than a little upset by a high level Palmer Tech employee walking around the building with a dangerous weapon.

Felicity's mind began race with worry and after a few moments it became clear to her that she was not going to be able to function until she found out if it was Oliver's blood on the substantial blade or not. The problem now was figuring out how to test the DNA on the sword without carrying the entire weapon through the office to get it to Palmer Tech's lab. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her that was far from perfect but stood a slim chance of working. In the top drawer of her desk she always kept a few adhesive bandages. Felicity was so used to digital representations of documents that physically manipulating any amount of tangible paper always lead to small painful paper cuts on at least one finger. Bandages were an absolute necessity in her office.

Felicity pulled a Band Aid out of her desk drawer and bent back down eye level with the sword. She proceeded to very gently pull off the bandage's wrapper, leaving the very end intact and still adhered together, forming a small 'V'. Sliding the bandage out by its sides, Felicity pulled the plastic liners protecting the adhesive ends of the Band Aid back away from the absorbent cotton pad in the center. Stretching forward underneath the desk towards the gory sword, Felicity rubbed the cotton pad of the Band Aid against the flat side of the blade, trying to pick up as much blood onto the pad she could. The more she did so, the sicker she felt. She could smell the metallic tang of blood by being this close to the horror show of a weapon. This couldn't be Oliver's blood, but the blood obviously belonged to someone. Once Felicity was satisfied with the amount of blood she'd gotten onto the bandage, she let the plastic tabs fall over the cotton pad once more and slid the entire Band Aid back into its partially intact wrapper to protect it and hopefully decrease the risk of contaminating the DNA sample.

She palmed the wrapped Band Aid, slid out from under the desk, and clumsily stood up. The gravity of what she was doing was affecting her more than she'd like. She knew she couldn't escape Palmer Technologies and get to the Foundry at Verdant to test the DNA on the bandage there without greatly risking contaminating the DNA sample she collected. Luckily, Felicity knew the employees that worked in Palmer Tech's lab were almost certainly gone thanks to the work day having been officially over for a couple of hours.

Felicity left her office and attempted to look steady and casual while heading to the nearby bay of elevators. The elevator she summoned arrived quickly and empty, sparing her from a potential encounter with another Palmer Tech employee. She was grateful that she didn't have to confront speaking with someone. As soon as the doors closed in front of her, she sighed with a small amount of relief and leaned against the back wall of the elevator, closing her eyes briefly. As she felt the elevator slowly descend, she prayed that no one else would call for it. Felicity wasn't sure if she could keep appearing nonchalant if she was engaged in conversation by someone in such an enclosed space. She was struggling to suppress what she was sure was noticeable anxiety as it was.

Arriving at the floor she needed, Felicity exited the elevator cautiously. Seeing no one in the nearby vicinity, she moved into the lab area. Sitting at the station with all the necessary equipment to test the Band Aid for the DNA present on it, Felicity started to decipher the evidence Malcolm left her.

Felicity began conducting the now familiar routine of testing her blood collection sample. She hoped her improvised method of gathering it worked. If it didn't, she had no idea how she would prove that it was not Oliver's blood without accessing some serious stealth capabilities to extricate the sword from Palmer Technologies. She knew she was totally and completely incapable of that level of cunning. When she was finished processing the sample and setting the equipment, Felicity sat at the nearby computer and opened a back door program to the computer. She accessed the log in information of the last person to sign in to the computer. She didn't want to use her log in information and it be on record that she had used the lab. She had a plan to circumvent all evidence of her having been in the lab, but she wasn't ideally focused at the moment. It was hard to have her usual level of certainty of success.

After logging in to the unsuspecting employee's account, Felicity set the computer to automatically forward the DNA results to her computer, delete the record of them on the laboratory's computer, then destroy the blood sample she had scraped away from the blade. Before exiting the computer, she quickly changed the current time stamp on the computer's activity monitoring program. She didn't want the employee whose information she commandeered or the Palmer Tech server to know his/her/their account had been accessed outside of the hours he/she/they had been at work.

Felicity made her way back to her office and tried to at least appear calm while waiting for the DNA results to be completed by the lab, judged against the Starling City Police Department's DNA database, and then forwarded to her computer. It took all of her willpower not to pace back and forth across her office space. The results seemed to be taking the most time of anything she'd ever done in her entire life.

Just when she was starting to get worried something had gone awry with her test, her computer pinged, notifying her that the results of her test had been completed. Felicity dashed to her computer from where she had been staring unseeing out her expansive window. She needed only moments to read the results. It was a 99.997% match to Oliver's DNA. No. That couldn't be right. Felicity scoured the report to find an error. Any error. She searched for any indication that Oliver's DNA catalogued at the SCPD had been altered to falsify giving the sword's blood a positive match, or that the results had been hacked and changed themselves. She found nothing.

It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

 **~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity sat at her desk and stared at her computer screen. It felt like she had been frozen there for hours, but only moments had passed. Malcolm had been telling the truth. If she had not been emotionally numb, she would have been shocked by that. But right now her emotions had completely halted and her mind was refusing to process anything. The world had frozen for her.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit her so hard that she dashed to her small office trash can to vomit in it. When she reached the empty can, she heaved and heaved but found no relief. After she slowly stood back upright, soft tremors started to rock through her body. She clutched her hands together to minimize the appearance of her body's reaction.

No thought seemed to be formed enough to actually register in Felicity's consciousness. She hypnotically walked over to the expansive window in her office. She didn't know exactly what she expected to see when she looked out the window, but surely there would be evidence to support this being one of her nightmares. Still numb inside herself, she gazed out the window. Nothing looked different. The universe was somehow the same. This was the first thought that she truly comprehended since absorbing the consensus of the DNA results.

Staring into the now black night outside her window, Felicity fought the realization she was sure was coming. She willed her mind to focus on anything other than Oliver. She continued to look outside and frantically search for something, anything, to distract her. She was too high up and it was too dark to see details of anything happening in the world outside her office. Employing her emotional avoidance technique was failing miserably.

Felicity shifted her head slightly and hoped that looking at a different area of Starling City would provide the salvation she needed. As she moved she caught a glimpse of her reflection looking intently back at her. She halted in place upon seeing the look on her own face. She looked wild-eyed and lost. Her face was visibly haunted. She appeared gaunt, withdrawn, and it seemed to Felicity that she looked like she had aged 10 years. It was not her face at all. The world had irrevocably changed and she changed right along with it. She was sure Oliver would not even recognize the person in her reflection now.

Upon that realization and seeing how helpless she looked, her emotional dam broke. Felicity inhaled a shuddering gasp of air. Oliver was gone and he was never coming back. This was really happening. Her breaths came in quicker and harder. Felicity's vision started to blur because of the tears swimming in her eyes that refused to fall. She suddenly felt weaker than she had ever felt in her entire life. Felicity slowly crumpled to the floor.

She sat on the cold office floor and pulled her knees up to her chest. Felicity thought if she made herself physically smaller, perhaps her feelings would shrink as well. It did not work. Trembling from what felt like her scalp to her toenails, Felicity stayed immobile on the hard floor. Staring at the dark polished marble surface, time lost all meaning for Felicity. Her entire being was consumed by her devastated emotional state and helpless physical state. She had no choice but to remain curled up on the floor hyperventilating and drowning in grief.

"I know, I know, I should go home but I… Felicity? Are you okay?" came Ray Palmer's voice from the doorway to her office. Felicity couldn't make herself turn to look at him or respond. She was still lost. Nothing mattered anymore. "Felicity?" Ray's voice was much closer now. Suddenly, a hand rested on Felicity's shoulder causing her to jump with alarm. Felicity hastily twisted away from Ray's attempt at reassurance and climbed precariously back to her feet. Ray had somehow noiselessly maneuvered directly behind her. His concern at her current state was all over his face. In her alacrity to get out of the office, Felicity slammed her body against Ray's sizeable frame. Ray seemed fazed and a little hurt by Felicity's hurried attempts to flee his presence.

"I have to go. I have to go. I… have to… go," muttered Felicity while glancing around her office trying to figure out what she needed to do in order to escape this situation. She fluttered her hands and spun in 360 degree circles, whipping her head back and forth frantically. Nothing she looked at seemed right. Nothing about this world seemed right, but she needed to get away from Ray as soon as possible. He positively radiated concern and well-meaning questions, and she could not be anywhere near either currently.

Felicity found salvation when she glimpsed her handbag. Grabbing it hastily, she almost ran toward her office doorway to escape the presence of an obviously alarmed Ray Palmer. When she reached the bay of amber marbled elevators, she was grateful to see that Ray had not pursued her.

Felicity looked down and saw her keys in her hand. When she looked at her surroundings she realized that she had somehow made it to the parking garage and was standing next to her car. She had absolutely zero recollection of making the journey through the Palmer Technologies building after the elevator by her office to where she was currently standing. When she thought about having potentially run into another Palmer Tech employee in her current state, she had a fleeting moment of apprehension for her own personal reputation, but ultimately decided she didn't care. She didn't care about anything anymore. Everyone in the Palmer Technologies building could say disgusting things about her every day for the rest of her life for all she cared.

Felicity got into her car and began her drive to Verdant. She was completely on autopilot. She knew what she had to do now, and she hated every second that carried her closer to bringing the dreaded news to Diggle, Laurel, and Roy. Felicity's tears started to fall thick and fast before Verdant even came into view.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver and Felicity laid curled up facing each other on a blanket in the large field next to the fuselage on Lian Yu. Oliver couldn't believe how happy he was in that moment. Felicity stared into his eyes and gave him a warm smile. He returned her smile with the most sincere grin of joy he'd ever felt. Oliver rested his hand against her cheek and she closed her eyes and sighed with contentment in response. "I'm so happy we're here," Oliver said with heartfelt satisfaction. "I am too, despite the landmines. Let's never leave," answered Felicity, opening her eyes and gazing at him with affection. Oliver leaned forward and gently and earnestly kissed Felicity. When he drew back to look at her she had a look of terror on her face. Utterly confused, Oliver drew back further from Felicity. "They're here," she said flatly. Oliver propped himself up on his arm to investigate what she meant. He saw dozens of members of the League of Assassins surrounding them and closing in. Everywhere he turned, Ra's al Ghul was leading the group in front of him. He knew he needed to fight to protect Felicity and save himself. He lowered himself back down to the blanket and turned to look back at the woman he loved. Just as he was about to tell Felicity to run, he noticed that her glasses were askew and she had blood on her face. His heart dropped when he saw that her eyes were totally lifeless. The light and joy that he loved about her had completely vanished from behind her eyes. Oliver moved to grab her body to shield her from the coming onslaught of warriors. When he went to reach his arms forward he saw he had a sword in his right hand. He knew the particular sword he held was the one Ra's al Ghul had plunged into him during their duel on the mountain top. The sword and his hands were covered in dark red blood. It was then that Oliver saw the gaping wound in Felicity's chest and the large puddle of blood that had soaked into the white blanket underneath them. He knew in his heart he had been the one who had stabbed Felicity. He had killed her.

The truck jolted violently underneath Oliver, roughly startling him awake. He could only be grateful for the harsh road and the crude truck bed then. His dream had been terrifying and he was sure it could have gotten much worse if it had been allowed to continue.

Oliver listened to the other passengers in the truck bed quietly murmur to each other and fiercely grip their few belongings. They probably didn't trust a _gaijin_ and feared he would do something terrible if he heard something he didn't like or saw a belonging he wanted. He ignored his qualms and sat huddled in his small section of the open truck bed, hoping his unassuming appearance and behavior would keep any suspicions about him from arising and trouble from ensuing.

The truck bed was far from the least comfortable way he had traveled, but Oliver was still sore and cold. Oliver normally tolerated cold temperatures remarkably well but after the significant injuries he had sustained during his battle with the Demon's Head, he found himself bearing the cold temperature and chilly wind less good-naturedly. Tatsu had provided him with Maseo Yamashiro's old blue fleece-lined coat before he left. Along with his own grey knit cap and scarf, Oliver felt that these items of clothing were less adequate at keeping the cold at bay than they normally would have been. Perhaps it was his blood loss or his body fighting his infection.

Oliver was thrilled to finally be going home. He knew he had been gone for several weeks and he was extremely concerned for his friends, Felicity, Thea, and Starling City. He wondered what had become of all of them in his absence. Oliver had healed relatively well thanks to the diligent ministrations of Tatsu Yamashiro but he was far from peak fighting condition. He genuinely hoped that Dig, Roy, and Felicity had managed to keep the chaos in Starling under control. He had faith in them but things fall apart. Oliver knew that better than most.

The rickety old truck Oliver and many others were using as transportation slowed to a stop, allowing a group of passengers near Oliver to climb out of the truck bed and walk down a small perpendicular gravel lane. Oliver grew more energized with each person that extricated themselves from the truck. The further he got from the mountain top where his and Ra's duel had taken place, the closer he got to home.

He found himself formulating a rough list of everything he needed to do once he got home. Oliver's first priority was definitely finding Thea, Felicity, Dig, Roy, and Laurel. He would have to think of an excuse, a somewhat believable lie, to explain to Thea his unexplained absence for the past several weeks. His next stop would be to find Diggle, Felicity, Roy, and Laurel. He'd thankfully be able to tell them the truth about what transpired on the mountain (mostly). He hoped they'd be more understanding about what he knew he needed to do next. He felt sick at the thought of doing what he was about to. Oliver had no choice though. He knew his personal integrity would have to be sacrificed in order to do the right thing for the ones he loved, the city he loved, and ultimately the world and that's something he would have to come to terms with soon.

Oliver catalogued his plan in his mind and prayed that it would succeed. He knew the likelihood of it happening as expected was remote and he anticipated many problems along the way. Oliver knew he would have to sacrifice many things, quite possibly the most important people in his life, but if it meant the safety of the people he loved and the city he loved, he'd gladly pay that price.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

 **~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Work, eat, sleep, and cry. Work, eat, sleep, and cry. Felicity's life had become a repeating cycle of misery. She could see no end to her melancholy ever since her heartbreaking conversation with Diggle, Roy, and Laurel at the Foundry the night she confirmed Oliver's death. Her revelation was met with denial, anger, attempts to place blame, and eventually devastated grief.

Now, Felicity only did the bare minimum she needed to in order to survive. She found joy or fulfillment in nothing. Work at Palmer Technologies had become checklists to achieve and nothing more. Ray rarely spoke to her alone and he had all together stopped asking for her help or ideas on his many technological projects or his newly-revealed A.T.O.M suit endeavor. Despite her continued politeness and efficiency, it was evident to everyone around her that she was a shell of her former self. Very few people knew the reason why she had changed so drastically, so most people simply attributed the change in her demeanor to stress. The majority of people around her office no longer stopped to occasionally say a friendly hello to her and that was fine with her. Those who did know the reason for her suffering kept trying to bring her out of the dark cloud she was living under to no avail.

Felicity still dreamed of Oliver. She almost longed for the nightmares she had been plagued by before finding out about Oliver's death. Her dreams of him were now longing and romantic. They spoke of the fantasies she entertained when she was still waiting for his return. They would never happen now. All the secrets whispered in candlelit rooms between the two of them would remain imaginary for her. Their love had been ended before it had even started.

Felicity's phone rang as she was unlocking her front door. Evening had just fallen and she was already beyond exhausted. After entering her apartment, Felicity grabbed her phone out of her bag to answer it but it had already stopped ringing. She glanced at the screen and saw a missed call from Diggle. She kicked off her shoes and waited to see if he left a voicemail. When her phone never dinged indicating she had a new message, she set it down and wandered into her kitchen to grab herself some water. She sat at her kitchen table with a glass of water and an apple. Just as she was finishing both a soft knock came from her front door. She padded across her apartment on bare feet and opened the door.

Felicity rocked backward at seeing who was at the door. She stood frozen in place, completely mute. "Hi," said Oliver gently. Felicity remained silent for several more seconds.

"Is this really happening?" Felicity replied barely above a whisper.

"Felicity…" Oliver responded warily.

"Hi! _HI_?! You've been gone for almost a month and you open with 'Hi'!" Felicity's mind had finally caught up to the situation in front of her and she was angry. Felicity turned and stepped into her apartment and Oliver followed, closing the door behind him.

"I know. I…" Oliver began.

"You know? You were dead Oliver. We thought you were dead!" Felicity interrupted.

"I was closer to death than you could even imagine. I wanted to call you every day to tell you I was alive, but I wasn't exactly in cell service range, Felicity. I came back as soon as I could. You weren't at the Foundry when I arrived. Diggle thought you'd be here," Oliver said without a trace of defensiveness in his voice. Felicity took a deep breath to steady herself. Her cleansing breath made her anger give way to wide-sweeping relief. Oliver was alive. Not only was he alive, but he was home in Starling City, with her.

When Felicity stayed silent, Oliver continued, "If I could have come home or contacted you right away, I would have. It kills me that you believed I was dead." Felicity raised an eyebrow at Oliver. "Okay, poor choice of words. You know I'd never want to cause you grief or pain. I'm so sorry." Oliver concluded apologetically. After a short pause, Oliver finished with, "I thought of you every day when I was stuck there healing. I was regaining my strength to make it home to you."

"What happened? Are you okay?" Felicity inquired.

"I'm okay, more or less. Let's just say my duel with Ra's did not go well. I was lucky. I was more than lucky," said Oliver.

"You know that's not good enough, right?" Felicity chastised.

"Yes, I do. I'll tell you everything later. I truly will. For now, I just had to see you," admitted Oliver.

"Why?" Felicity asked hesitantly. She knew Oliver's propensity for taking the weight of the world upon himself and sacrificing his own happiness in misguided attempts to protect the people he loved. She was sure she knew what was coming. Oliver was going to end things before they even began. He was going to push her away, again, and say it was for her own good. She prepared herself for the oncoming blow that would surely crush her even more than she had already been crushed.

"You kept me alive. You were my last thought before I fell to what I was sure was my death. When I awoke alive, my thoughts of you gave me the will to live. You're reason I lived to come home," Oliver said with a sincerity that nearly floored Felicity. It was nothing close to what she thought he'd say, but she knew he wasn't done speaking.

"Why do I get the feeling there's a 'but' coming?" she said waiting for the impending heartbreak.

"No 'but'. I love you, pure and simple. When I woke up I realized that I never want to live without you. Never again. I know I said I couldn't be with someone I could really care about, but the fact is I don't 'really care about' you. I love you. Living without you isn't an option," Oliver confessed. "I'll take you any way I can get you. I don't expect you to welcome me home with open arms after I hurt you so badly. I don't expect you to feel the same way about me either. I just know I need you," he continued.

Felicity remained completely immobile where she was. She knew she should still be angry. He had hurt them all so badly. Even though the rational part of her brain was still screaming for answers and furious at his behavior, her emotions were entirely filled with joy. A love blossomed in her heart so full that she couldn't even find the right expression to match it.

She looked into his eyes with an intensity she'd never felt before. "I can't live without you either. You've helped me find the person I'm supposed to be," she said earnestly. Felicity then spoke the three words she had been so scared to before. "I love you," Felicity said ardently.

The space between them vanished with the confident strides Oliver took toward Felicity.


	6. Chapter 6

*****Author's Note*****

This is my first attempt at a lemon. If it's awful, I apologize. I tried. It's also really long. I hope that's okay. Let me know what you think of it, whether you love it, hate it, or anything in between.

 _Chapter 6_

 **~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Oliver sighed, "Felicity," as he gently grabbed both sides of her face, pulling her face close to him. He kissed Felicity with a devotion that she could feel down to her bones. The kiss was gentle and sweet. Oliver pulled away and gazed with wonder into Felicity's eyes. She had no idea what reflected back into his. She was marveling at the perfection of the moment. The kiss had been a religious experience for her. The aura of love that hung around both of them made it all the more glorious.

When Oliver removed his large hands from where they were on either side of her face, she almost sighed with disappointment. Oliver slowly removed her glasses gently, dropping them to the ground beside him. Felicity couldn't find it in herself to care about his reckless treatment of her glasses. He placed his hand on the side of her neck, reaching his fingers up into the hairline behind her ear. A shudder went through her and she closed her eyes. He put his other hand on her right hip, pulling her gradually toward him.

When she was flush against Oliver's firm body, Felicity opened her eyes. He was staring at her with an adoration that caused her knees to feel weak. Tilting his head, he lowered his face back towards her. Felicity lifted her face to meet his and closed her eyes. Their renewed kiss started passionate but tender. Felicity slid her hands from where they had been resting on his hands to his forearms. She felt his chest move forward in response. Felicity continued to glide her hands up his arms until they were resting on his taught biceps.

Oliver's jaw tightened and he moved forward. His mouth took on a new fervor as their kiss progressed. His mouth opened against Felicity's and she responded in kind. They breathed in each other's breath and Felicity felt Oliver's muscles tense beneath her hands. Unable to restrain herself any more, Felicity slipped her tongue into his warm, wet, mouth. He groaned and slid his tongue into hers. Felicity's heart began to race as their kiss deepened. Their tongues continued to explore each other's mouths, their heads rolling back and forth to give each other new access. Eventually they were pulling slightly away from each other to breathe. Oliver's breaths seem to come in groans and Felicity's were coming in gasps. Their breaks lasted only moments before they would resume their passionate kiss.

Oliver and Felicity pulled each other closer. Their fervent kiss soon began to feel insufficient, and their hands began to explore each other's bodies. She moved her hands from his biceps to his shoulder blades and rib cage, feeling his muscles ripple beneath his shirt as they moved. Oliver moved his hands to the nape of her neck and his other hand to the base of her spine right above where her buttocks started. Neither kept their hands there for long, moving them around slowly, feeling each other through their clothing.

Felicity became like a live wire when Oliver placed his hand on the bare flesh on her back. She slipped her hand slightly under the hem of his shirt and felt a few inches of his skin above the waistband of his jeans with her fingertips. A deep groan rose from the back of his throat in response. Felicity slid her hand further up his t-shirt feeling his taught abs beneath the palm of her hand. Oliver's jaw stiffened and he moved his hands from her hips up her rib cage, his thumbs skimming under her breasts over her clothes.

Felicity ground her body against his involuntarily, willing him to move forward. Oliver registered her desire and slid his hand up to her left breast, cupping it. She pushed her chest forward into his large hand and he rubbed her breast in response. Moaning, Felicity continued to let her fingers explore under Oliver's shirt, feeling the scars on his abdomen, back and shoulders. Oliver shuddered with obvious pleasure. Felicity lifted the hem of his shirt as he palmed one of her breasts and his fingertips traced under the other.

Oliver pulled back and moved to remove his shirt. Felicity continued to lift the heather grey shirt hem as he pulled it off. Once his shirt was off, Felicity pulled her body slightly back from his and laced her fingers through the belt loops in his jeans. She gazed at his body. It never ceased to astonish her. Somehow his many heinous scars and tattoos made him all the more beautiful. She noticed a newly healed pink horizontal line under his right pectoral muscle and another vertical gash on his left side above his hip. She knew they must have been injuries sustained during his duel with Ra's al Ghul. Felicity extricated her fingers from his belt loops and moved to walk around to his back to examine it. Oliver stood still, seeming to know what she was doing. When Oliver's back came into her view, Felicity immediately noticed another pink horizontal line under his shoulder blade in line with the wound on his front. It was obvious the sword that Malcolm had brought Felicity had entirely penetrated Oliver's body and the blade tip exited Oliver's his back.

Felicity moved back to Oliver's front and looked at his face. He was visibly wary. She knew he was worried about her reaction to seeing his new injuries. She now knew he hadn't been exaggerating when he said he was closer to death than she could have imagined. Leaning her head down to his torso, Felicity kissed along the freshly formed scar on his chest. She moved her mouth and hands across Oliver's body kissing and caressing every scar she saw.

She shifted away from Oliver's body and looked at his face to register his response at her actions. A look in his eyes that she couldn't identify was intently staring into her own. Felicity placed her right hand over Oliver's heart. He smiled and placed his hands on her hips. Oliver rapidly lowered his face back down and kissed Felicity violently, moving his mouth down her jaw and neck.

Pleasure continued to build in Felicity with every move his mouth made. When Felicity slid her hand down from over Oliver's heart, she grazed his nipple. She felt his body give a excited jolt at the contact. She brought her right palm back up to his nipple and moved her left finger tips over to his other one. He ground himself against her and she could feel his arousal growing against her abdomen.

When Oliver's mouth reached her collar bone, he slipped his tongue out of his mouth and gently licked along it while beginning to suck at her skin. His left hand moved to roll her nipple through her clothing while his right hand palmed her buttocks.

Felicity's breaths started coming in fast, deep gasps. Moving her mouth to his chest, she sucked on Oliver's hard nipple while clumsily trying to undo the button and zipper to his pants. Her fingers were not fast enough to meet her desire.

When he felt her hands move to try to remove his pants, Oliver became equally as eager as her. He slipped his left hand under the front of the skirt to her pink dress, pulling at the front of her underwear on her right hip. His right hand smoothly undid the zipper on the back of her dress.

Felicity abandoned her ministrations on his chest and focused all her attention on removing his pants. After finally successfully unfastening his pants, Felicity began to try to pull them down while Oliver slid her dress down her shoulders. Felicity stopped pulling at Oliver's pants and stepped back to let her dress fall down to her ankles. She stood in front of Oliver naked, except for her pale blue cotton underwear.

Upon seeing her, Oliver seemed to feel the same rush of need Felicity had been feeling. He frantically bent down to remove his sturdy shoes and socks. Felicity marveled at how even his feet were beautiful. Scarred yet strong, like the rest of him. He then quickly removed his pants and underwear in one fell swoop with a grace that was incredible to see.

Felicity had seen him partially naked many times and imagined him naked so many others. Nothing lived up to the truth. He was simply glorious to look at. He was strong and self-assured. Felicity expected to feel nervous in return after seeing him because of everything that had gone on between them, but she felt only desired and loved. She looked up from him to his face and saw him watching her with obvious desire. When she looked into his eyes she saw an intensity of love that she was sure matched her own.

She stepped forward and pushed herself against him. Her breasts were firmly against his chest and her abdomen against his arousal. She could feel he was up to his full height. She was growing more aroused as well with every passing moment.

Oliver reached up and slid the elastic band out of her blonde hair, letting her thick hair tumble down to above her breasts. He moved his hand down her back to her backside, sliding his hand under her underwear and massaging her naked buttock. Felicity pushed her chest forward into his in response. Oliver glided his other fingers over her sex through the front of her underwear. She was trembling with pleasure.

Moving upward, he slipped his fingers through the elastic band, fisting her underwear and pulling it hard. He moved his finger torturously slow through the hair above her sex while his other hand continued to knead her rear. She moved her right fingers down his abdomen to his own hair in response while her left hand rested on his hipbone. She leaned forward with her mouth and ran her lips across his nipple.

He gasped and she felt his long finger enter her. She let out a long groan with an exhale and threw her head back. She continued her downward path with her own fingers as he moved in her over and over. She cried out with pleasure when his palm hit her clitoris. She grabbed the top of his stiff and ready length firmly in response. He let out almost a primal growl.

Oliver's strong hand ripped through Felicity's underwear, shredding them. He tossed them aside and quickly lifted her up in his arms. Resting her elbows against Oliver's shoulders, Felicity wrapped her legs around Oliver's torso.

Felicity knew they'd never make it to the bedroom so she whispered, "Couch," in Oliver's ear, causing him to shiver. As he carried her with powerful strides across the room to the awaiting couch, she licked his neck and ran his fingers through his short hair.

She felt Oliver stop walking and knew they had made it to the couch. She unwrapped her legs from around him and he slid her down his body, placing her on the floor. Felicity sat down on the edge of her large couch and looked into Oliver's eyes. She saw no trepidation or hesitation. Felicity lowered herself down onto the couch as Oliver watched spellbound. As she laid down, she reached to take Oliver's hand and he placed his rough warm hand in hers.

Oliver leaned over Felicity and gradually moved to hover over her prostrate and eager body. He placed one hand on the back of the couch by Felicity's side and rested his other hand and forearm next to Felicity's head. Oliver lifted himself and hovered his body parallel to Felicity. He stared into Felicity's eyes as their faces nearly touched. "I love you," he said earnestly. "I love you," she replied with all the sincerity in her heart.

Oliver lowered himself down to her without placing his substantial body weight on her. She could feel his need was as great as her own in that moment. Oliver kissed her softly and with adoration. She could feel he was right at her entrance and she spread her legs further, spurring him on. She let her right leg fall to the floor, placing the sole of her foot flat against the floor in anticipation.

Deepening their kiss, Oliver slowly entered Felicity. She arched her back off the couch in utter pleasure, pushing him deeper inside of her. Oliver moved his mouth from Felicity's and onto her jaw. He pivoted his hips rotating his erection inside of her. She moaned at the feeling.

Oliver began to move at a delicious unhurried pace while kissing Felicity with a tender fervor. Felicity let her fingers trail his collar bones, nipples, muscles, and every scar she could feel. As their lovemaking continued, she began to feel a heat under her skin that reminded her of lava. She wrapped her legs around Oliver, pushing him deeper inside of her. She was amazed by the fullness she felt. It was beyond bliss. She was meeting him with enthusiasm.

Oliver's rhythm increased and he was entering her with vigor. Felicity's pleasure was increasing every moment. Their lovemaking was becoming almost frenzied. They moved together with passion, Felicity's cries and Oliver's grunts of pleasure becoming more frequent. She was beginning to think she was going to burst from the sensory overload. She gripped onto Oliver's shoulder blades, feeling the muscles move beneath her hands with each of his thrusts. She sucked on Oliver's ear, eliciting a deep rumble from his chest.

She could feel she was moments away. Her head started to flail back and forth of its own accord. Felicity closed her eyes, absorbing every passing moment. She felt Oliver prop himself up on his hand and forearm that was by the side of her head. His other hand trailed itself down her body. When his fingers found her clitoris, he circled it. Felicity cried out an involuntary, "Oh god," in response. Oliver teased her clitoris again and again, eliciting more and more cries of pleasure and deep moans from her. Oliver began to move relentlessly, moaning as well.

She could feel herself quivering around Oliver with every thrust he made in her. He pressed his lips to hers. She opened her lips and his tongue plundered her mouth. When his teeth grazed her lip, Felicity fell apart at the seams. Her back arched off the couch with a strangled cry of pleasure. She gripped onto his shoulders with a strength she didn't know she had while her insides clenched around him over and over. Her orgasm seemed to stretch on and on. With a deep groan of his own, Oliver stiffened and stilled as Felicity felt him spilling into her.

When Oliver had finished his own orgasm, he collapsed onto Felicity. He laid his head on her chest, but kept the full weight of his body off her. Their breathing was ragged as they both came down from their post-orgasmic high. Oliver looked up from where his head had been laid on Felicity's chest. They stayed connected, just staring into each other's eyes with awe. "I love you," Felicity whispered. "And I love you," Oliver replied sincerely.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver had never felt such bliss in his entire life. He knew then and there that his and Felicity's relationship was most definitely more meaningful and powerful than every other relationship he had ever had. He ran his nose up her neck and inhaled her sent enthusiastically. She sighed with pleasure in response. Oliver could feel how overcome Felicity was with joy and it made him happy in return.

Felicity closed her eyes and gave a small smile. Exhaustion had definitely hit her. Night had finally fallen and it was obvious she needed sleep. Wrapping his limbs around her, Oliver grabbed the blanket off from the back of the couch where they were laid. Felicity curled her body against his as Oliver covered both of their naked bodies with the blanket. Content and happy, both of them relaxed.

After they had both been asleep for a few hours, Oliver was woken by Felicity murmuring in her sleep, "Hmmm. Oliver. No. Oliver." Her sleep was obviously fitful. The frown line between her eyes was apparent and she unconsciously pulled him closer to her. Oliver gently brushed his lips against her forehead and he felt her relax as a result.

After falling asleep for a few more hours, Oliver woke to a bright living room. Felicity was lying next to him on the couch, staring at him. "Good morning," she said with a smile. "Good morning," he replied back with a sleepy smile of his own. As Oliver kissed Felicity's neck her stomach gave a loud growl. She hid her head, obviously embarrassed.

"Breakfast," Oliver commanded.

"It's closer to lunch, actually," teased Felicity back.

Oliver groaned and rubbed his hand across his face. "I wish we didn't need to get up," said Oliver tiredly.

"Me too," admitted Felicity.

"Okay. Shower, then brunch," Felicity said.

"Done," Oliver grinned, standing up from the couch and pulling Felicity with him. Oliver grabbed their clothes off the floor in the living room and placed his hand in Felicity's. They walked slowly to Felicity's bedroom clothes-in-arm. He dropped both of their clothes on an obliging chair in Felicity's room as they continued to walk hand-in-hand toward her bathroom.

Felicity's bathroom was relatively small. She had a phone booth shower and an aged-looking bathtub next to it. Felicity opened the shower glass door and reached into the shower to turn on the hot water. After having decided the water temperature was ideal, Felicity turned to Oliver. "Join me?" she asked. Oliver didn't need words to respond. He grinned, following Felicity into the stream of hot water. Oliver closed the shower door behind him and moved in closely to Felicity. The water spilled over both of them in the small confines of the shower. Oliver pressed his chest against Felicity's bare back. She sighed and sagged against him in delight. He moved himself forward and he could feel his dick pushed firmly against her rear. He sighed with frustration when Felicity turned to face him.

Felicity grabbed a bottle of shower gel and handed it to Oliver. It smelled musky and somehow slightly floral. It must be the reason Felicity always smelled so good. Felicity ran some more water through her thick blonde hair then turned to a large bottle that had been sitting next to the shower gel. She pumped many pumps of a solid white cream into her hand and began to massage into her hair. It smelled like green tea and gardenias. When Felicity had completed the routine with her hair, Oliver put a small amount of shower gel into his hand and rubbed his palms together. Felicity mirrored his motion, getting the body cleanser to lather as well.

With foam covering his hands, Oliver reached over to Felicity and began to spread the body wash on her wet skin. Felicity moved forward to do the same to him. Oliver glided his hands over her torso, probably spending more time than necessary on her breasts. Felicity dragged her hands across Oliver's chest, tracing each one of his scars, the tattoo given to him by John Constantine and the other representing his position in the Russian mob. After finishing washing her arms and neck, Oliver grasped her and awkwardly tried to wash her back while she was facing him. He continued to do the same on her buttocks, kneading them softly. Felicity moved her hands up and down his neck and arms, obviously reveling in the feel of his sculpted muscles that he worked so hard to cultivate.

Oliver bent down and slid his hands up and around Felicity's legs, drinking in how beautiful they were. He saw her muscles begin to tremble when he was washing her inner thighs. He slowly brought his hand up to her sex and palmed it swiftly. Though he had barely touched her, she inhaled sharply in response. When he was done washing her, Felicity indicated with her finger that Oliver should turn around. He awkwardly twisted 180 degrees in the cramped shower, his back now facing Felicity. He felt her squirt more shower gel into her palm. She started to massage the foam into his back muscles and down his ribcage. When she reached his backside, he felt her kneel onto the floor behind him. She firmly massaged his rear end. Sighs of delight kept coming from him.

Oliver felt Felicity's hands move steadily down his long powerful legs and to his feet. "Turn," she said when she was finished. When he turned back around to face her, he found Felicity facing his substantial length. He had grown under her massage, and he knew she could tell he desired her this way. Felicity ran her still foamy hands up and down his length and into the hair above it. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her small deft fingers.

When he shifted his weight, the water streamed down both of their bodies, effectively rinsing off all of their body wash. When their skin was rinsed and clean, Oliver looked into Felicity's eyes from where she still knelt on the shower floor. He thought she looked slightly hesitant but determined. She gripped him firmly, leaned forward and opened up her lips, hovering over his tip. She slowly slid him into her hot mouth. Oliver sucked air through his teeth harshly as a result. He could feel Felicity drawing back on his dick and moving forward again. She had sheathed her teeth and had her mouth pressed against him firmly with every movement. She drew him in and he felt himself hit the back of her throat.

"Ahh," moaned Oliver, gripping the wet shower walls. Felicity started drawing him into her mouth and pulling back out with greater confidence. Her tongue swirled up and down him with her every motion and she sucked him hard when she moved back towards the tip of his erection.

He continued to hit the back of her throat every time she moved her mouth forward. His pleasure was building higher and higher every moment. She firmly fondled his backside. He moaned in satisfaction. Felicity moved her left hand up to his the hair above his dick. She brought him deeply into her throat again and tugged roughly on his pubic hair. With that he dove off the edge. Unintentionally pushing himself further into her throat, he stilled and felt himself cum into her willing mouth.

After he had finished, Felicity withdrew him from her mouth. She licked and sucked his skin up his torso as she got back to her feet. She reached his collar bone and began sucking even harder. Oliver lowered his mouth to hers and began kissing her intensely. He could taste his salty flavor on her when he slid his tongue into her mouth. She was amazing.

After rinsing her hair, Felicity turned off the water and opened the shower doors with Oliver following close behind. Felicity squeezed the water out of her hair, soaking the carpet floor mat under her feet in the process. She ran her fingers through her still saturated hair, letting it fall around her breasts.

Oliver watched her intently. As she went to reach for the towels hanging on the wall, Oliver saw the beads of water streaming from her hair, down her breasts, clinging to her nipples, sliding down her abdomen, and then dampening the hair between her legs, causing it to glisten with the moisture. Before Felicity could even reach the towels, Oliver took two powerful steps toward her, grabbing and kissing her firmly.


	8. Chapter 8

*****Author's Note*****

This is the last lemony chapter before returning to actual plot. Would you prefer more or less lemons? Would you rather them be one psychotically long chapter as opposed to being broken-down into shorter (but still really long) chapters like I have been doing? Any feedback would be great- even if it's just to tell me you hate the lemons and I need to stop writing them.

 _Chapter 8_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver hoisted Felicity's still wet body into his arms and took the few steps back into her bedroom. He threw her gently in the air, causing her to land splayed and soaking in the middle of her bed with an endearing giggle. Oliver stood at the foot of the bed and looked at the smiling and naked Felicity lying in front of him. He grabbed her hips and pulled her roughly towards the edge of the bed where he stood, eliciting another laugh from her. He lined Felicity's rear up with the edge of the bed and let her legs hang off the edge, her toes on the floor in front of him. Oliver kneeled on the floor facing the bed. His body was directly in front of her bent legs.

"I am hungry," Oliver said mischievously. Felicity propped herself up on her elbows to watch what he was doing. Oliver spread her legs wide, splaying her sex in all its naked glory in front of him. He skimmed his fingertips slowly along the inside of both of her legs from her ankles up her calves. Felicity stared into his eyes, her breaths coming in faster.

Oliver's fingers reached her inner thighs and he bent his head down toward her. He kissed one of her inner thighs and then the next. He felt her muscles tense beneath him as he continued to kiss and lick up her right hip, his fingers massaging her left hip. He ran his tongue above the hair over her sex and she gave a soft sigh of pleasure. He continued down, running his nose through her hair, inhaling her intoxicating scent.

He froze in place. He wanted to do this so badly, but he didn't know if she even wanted it. Just as he was about to voice his concerns, he looked up at her face and she whispered a quiet and sincere, "Yes," answering his unspoken question.

Emboldened, Oliver ran his nose along her folds on each side of her entrance, continuing to inhale her in. She gave a soft hum and shifted her hips, spurring him forward. He leaned forward and let his tongue exit his mouth. He did a slow lick from the base of her opening to her clitoris. She gave a small gasp of pleasure in response.

He slid his tongue back down and let it enter her. She gave a deep moan in response. He could taste her arousal on his tongue. She was beyond delicious. He could gladly camp here for the rest of his life. He moved his tongue in and out of her, licking her inner walls as he did. Felicity continued to gasp in response. Sliding his tongue out of her, Oliver let it trail upward to the bundle of nerves at the top of her sex. He took the fingers on his right hand and gently pulled her folds back to give him greater access to her clitoris.

Oliver shifted away from Felicity's opening and lifted her legs up, resting one of her feet on each of his shoulders and spreading her legs wider. He licked her right inner thigh and then her left while his left hand held down her right hip.

He lowered his face back down to her and lightly blew on her clitoris. He felt her stiffen beneath his hands. Leaning in more, he swirled his tongue around her bundle of nerves confidently. A soft moan escaped her lips. He circled his tongue around her clitoris again and sucked the sensitive bundle of nerves into his mouth, pulling at it ever so gently with his lips. She gave a great moan when he began his assault on her clitoris with his tongue again.

He could feel her hips unconsciously moving against his mouth as he continued. His mouth was completely covered in her arousal now, and he savored the taste. Oliver glanced up and could see Felicity's wet hair fanned around her and her eyes tightly shut. Her right hand palmed her own breast, pulling at her nipple firmly. Oliver moaned at the sight. She was uninhibited and that brought joy to Oliver. He was elated to know he could bring her such pleasure. Oliver took his right hand from her hip, skimmed it up her thigh, and let his long index finger enter her.

"Oh god," Felicity cried out with pleasure, pushing herself further onto his mouth and on to his finger. He began to slowly move his finger back and forth inside her. He could feel how loose and relaxed her inner walls were. He circled his finger inside her and she gave a low breathy moan. Extricating his finger from inside her, Oliver added in a second finger. He moved his fingers inside her as his tongue continued to flick at her bundle of nerves.

Oliver pushed his fingers all the way into Felicity and curled them towards himself, as if to beckon her forward. She cried out and fisted her hands in the bed's comforter as he hit her g-spot repeatedly. She moved her hips more and more, forcing his fingers deeper inside of her with every thrust of his fingers and movement of his tongue. Mewling cries started to erupt from her chest.

The fingers on Felicity's right hand wound themselves into Oliver's damp hair as her left hand continued to grab at the bed sheets. Felicity held Oliver's head in place as he continued the unrelenting pace of his tongue and fingers.

"Oh. Oliver," Felicity gasped. Oliver could feel the walls inside her start to quiver. He knew she was moments away. He thrust his fingers into her firmly and sucked her clitoris into his mouth again, pulling at it almost roughly with his lips.

With a long exaggerated moan, Oliver saw Felicity arch her back off the bed, squeeze her eyes closed tightly, and fist her fingers in his hair roughly. She clamped herself around his fingers violently over and over. Oliver continued to move inside her and lick her clitoris until he felt she had ridden out her orgasm.

Collapsing against the bed, Felicity relaxed completely. Oliver removed his coated fingers from her, and sucked off the remaining fluid as she watched him astonished. Oliver moved up from between her legs. He licked and kissed his way up her body. He let his tongue plunder her navel and felt her body stiffen in response. He continued up and sucked her right nipple into his mouth and pulled at it with his teeth. She gave a sated exhale in response. He licked her collar bone and neck, before reaching her ear. He pulled it into his mouth and bit it gently. She moaned in return. Oliver could tell how satisfied Felicity was at that moment, and it thrilled him. He kissed her deeply, spreading her own arousal in and around her own mouth. He would never get used to this.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

 **~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity hummed with satisfaction. "Whew. So much for the shower," Felicity laughed. Oliver lay naked on his side next to her. He smiled at her with what almost seemed like a smug grin.

"I wouldn't mind going back in, if you want to," Oliver said with a wink. Felicity rolled her eyes and said, "I think I'm okay. Unless I smell, that is."

Oliver placed his face on her breast, "Hmmm. Let me see," inhaling deeply. He turned his face and let his teeth graze her left nipple. Her breath hitched in her chest. She felt his facial hair scratch against her skin in the most delicious way as he continued his path up her body, inhaling through his nose in an exaggerated fashion. When he reached the middle of her neck he stopped and kissed it softly. "No. You smell amazing as always," Oliver said sincerely.

Felicity gave a small scoff and moved to stand up from the bed, Oliver following behind. She turned to look at the bed and saw an enormous water mark that looked like a Rorschach ink blot test on her comforter. She laughed at the sight.

"At least it's just water," she said. "Next time towels first."

"Next time? That has potential," Oliver said with a small smile.

Felicity made her way over to her dresser to grab a bra and underwear. She looked for one of the few matching sets she owned. She decided on a satin amethyst number and put it on. She looked over and saw Oliver sliding on the boxer briefs that he'd abandoned on the chair a little earlier. She knew it'd be ridiculous to ask him to just walk around in his underwear the rest of the day, but she sure liked to look at him. She walked over to her closet and picked the first dress she saw. It was royal blue, sleeveless, and short. She'd definitely need to remember her cardigan before leaving.

Felicity turned to ask Oliver to zip her dress and saw to her delight that he had donned his pants, but chose to remain shirtless. Her face must have looked greedy, because a knowing grin spread across his. Grabbing the wide-tooth comb on her dresser, Felicity ran it through her merely damp tresses. She decided she was presentable enough and headed towards her small kitchen with Oliver in tow.

When they reached the kitchen, Oliver pulled out a chair at the small table and commanded, "Sit." She did so without complaint, but remained curious. Felicity watched as Oliver made his way through the kitchen. He started glancing in every cupboard and drawer in front of him. She knew she should take pity on him and ask what he was looking for so she could tell him where it was, but she was having too much fun watching him not be adept at something for once.

Abandoning the cabinets, Oliver turned to the refrigerator. He looked inside it and got a sour look on his face. She was sure the reason he looked cross was because of how little food she actually had in her place. He reached in and extricated a white bag from the refrigerator, setting it on the counter. After he shut the refrigerator, he smiled and held up the Big Belly Burger bag to her. She chuckled and nodded, letting him know that it would be a suitable meal. He turned back to her cabinets to where he obviously remembered where her plates were. He pulled down 2 plates and pilled them with equal portions of food. Felicity knew there would be no way that she could eat half a buger and all the fries he piled on her plate, but she let Oliver continue unhindered. She'd pawn off anything she couldn't eat on him. He turned to the microwave and reheated both plates of food. Seeming proud of himself, Oliver turned and carried the plates of food to the table with Felicity. "Water?" Oliver asked as he set the plates down in front of Felicity.

"Sure," she replied. Oliver turned back to the cabinets and went in search of water glasses. "Next cabinet on the right," Felicity said as Oliver went to open the wrong cabinet. Stopping himself, he pulled two glasses out of the correct cupboard and filled them with water from the filter attached to her water faucet. He carried both glasses of water back with him to the table and sat down next to Felicity.

"Thank you," Felicity told Oliver. "You're welcome. Eat," he replied. They ate in comfortable silence, Felicity becoming full before her burger half was gone. She slid her plate with her remaining food in front of Oliver. He graciously accepted, finishing both his and Felicity's portions.

"We should head to the Foundry. There are things I need to tell you, Dig, and Roy," Oliver stated sounding faintly grim. Felicity tried to not let her imagination run away with her as a result.

"Sounds good. Let me finish getting ready and we'll head out," Felicity said rising from the table. "I have a spare toothbrush in my bathroom if you want it." Felicity informed Oliver.

"Thanks, I do. Lead the way." Oliver said, following Felicity to her bathroom.

Felicity put her car into park just as Oliver pulled his Ducati in beside her. Felicity exited her car and waited for Oliver to finish dismounting his bike and removing his helmet. They walked into Verdant side by side and headed to the back to the stairs that lead to the basement. Oliver unlocked the security door by pressing "1-4-1" and "enter". When they descended into the lair, they saw the lights were already on and they could hear Diggle and Roy talking quietly.

"You're here early," Oliver stated.

"Yeah, we got used to spending a lot of time here while you were gone. By the way, Thea is being a real pain about this whole Oliver-spent-a-few-weeks-in-jail-and-told-no-one thing. We may have a problem with her. She said something about talking to Ned Foster," Roy informed Oliver.

"I'm not surprised. It just seemed like the most reasonable lie at the time. It's not as if I could tell her the truth. We'll deal with that if it becomes a problem later," Oliver conceded.

"What's up, Oliver? We're thrilled you're back, man, but it's unlike you to call us in like this unless something is going on. Is something going on?" Dig asked, confusion and concern lacing his voice.

"Yes, Dig, something is going on. I need to explain something," Oliver began, moving away from Felicity so he could face all of them together as a group. "I haven't told you all much about what happened while I was in Hong Kong. Well, one of the members of the League that has been here… I knew him. I knew his family. I lived with them."

"You know a member of the League other than Sara?" Diggle asked.

"Yes and no. I knew Maseo Yamashiro in Hong Kong, but something happened and he left. He found the League and became Sarab in the same way the Sara became Ta-er al-Asfer," Oliver answered.

The group stayed quiet so Oliver continued, "Maseo is who rescued me after my duel with Ra's al Ghul. He found me and took me to his wife Tatsu. She kept me from dying. As I recovered and made plans to leave, Maseo told me something all of you should be aware of." The entire group shifted forward sensing the importance of what Oliver was about to say. Felicity couldn't help but be afraid. There was something about Oliver's countenance that was making her deeply unnerved.

"There's a prophecy within the League that says the person who survives the sword of Ra's al Ghul will become Ra's al Ghul," Oliver finished seriously. Felicity wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but she could feel a thrill of electricity in the air that told her it was nothing good.

"So, what? Because you didn't die, Maseo thinks you'll become Ra's al Ghul because of some prophecy?" Roy asked.

"It's not what Maseo believes. It's what Ra's believes. Maseo told me that when Ra's al Ghul discovers I'm still alive, he will send League members to Starling in an attempt to force me to take up his mantle and become his successor," replied Oliver.

"So we'll be ready," Diggle said without hesitance.

"It's not that simple. Even if we're prepared to face them, Maseo told me that Ra's will have given the League orders to do whatever is necessary to get me to agree to become the next Ra's. That includes destroy Starling City or turn it so far against me that I have nowhere else to turn. People will suffer," Oliver said obviously trying to relay its significance.

"So what do we do?" Felicity spoke for the first time. Her voice came out much more sure sounding than she actually felt.

"There's only one thing I can do. When Ra's finds out I'm alive, he will come to Starling City with a contingent of League members to share his proposal for me to take his place. The only thing I'll be able to do is accept his offer," finished Oliver desolately.

"What?! No, man. There is no way in hell we're letting you turn yourself over to that psycho!" said Diggle forcefully.

"Agreed. We'll think of another way, Oliver. We can protect the city," Roy agreed.

Felicity stood silent. She was completely immobile. Everything about this situation was wrong.

"The fact is that the longer I reject his offer, the more people the League will murder and the more likely it will be that Ra's discovers Thea actually murdered Sara. I don't have a choice. I do have a plan though," Oliver continued, trying to comfort the group.

"It better be one hell of a plan," said Roy without any confidence.

"Maseo doesn't want the League life for me any more than I want to be Ra's. He has agreed to help me dismantle the League of Assassins from within. I suspect he does not want to survive the process. Maseo is truly broken. I think he sees this as repaying a debt," Oliver said with sadness.

"What happened, Oliver?" Felicity asked hesitantly.

"Amanda Waller had recruited me for a mission in Hong Kong. It went badly and Maseo and Tatsu's son, Akio, died as a result. That is what made Maseo into Sarab," Oliver said with finality.

"I still say this is a bad plan," Roy said. "How do you know that Ra's simply won't kill you or Maseo turn back on his promise to help you?"

"I don't. The fact is the decision is already made. It's not up for debate. I'm just informing you all. I'm not sure how long we have," Oliver said conclusively.

"No," Felicity whispered under her breath. She wasn't even sure she spoke it loud enough for any of them to hear. She glared at the floor suppressing angry tears that budded at the corners of her eyes. Oliver had just gotten back and now he was going off on what was probably a suicide mission. No discussion. No consultation. He was going even after everything that had happened between them.

Felicity turned on her heel and headed back up the metal stairs. She had to get out. She couldn't do this again. "Felicity?" She heard Diggle call after her. She didn't pause or respond in any way. She just continued out of the basement to escape the situation. She could feel Oliver on her heels, but she didn't stop or acknowledge him in any way.

When she exited Verdant, she heard Oliver cautiously say, "Felicity," behind her. She turned aggressively to face him. "Did you know all along? Have you known you were going to do this since you got back or did you just decide? I ask if _you_ decided because it looks like none of us are getting any say in the matter! You just got back! Now you're going to run off again to face a guy who just killed you. Don't worry though, it'll be different this time because you may or may not have help and you're going to be sneaky! Do you know what? I can't. I just can't." She threw up her hands in frustration and exasperation.

Felicity twisted back around, wrenching open her car door and slamming it behind her before Oliver could respond. Felicity started her car and spun out of the Verdant parking area at an unsafe speed. As she continued down the road she was relieved to see that Oliver wasn't following her. Felicity slowed to a safe speed and continued to drive, listening for the roar of the Ducati. It thankfully remained absent.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

 **~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity sat at her desk at Palmer Technologies and continued looking over design proposals. She was grateful for the distraction and had been feeling herself calm down more and more as time passed. Even though she felt calmer, Felicity couldn't escape the worry and sadness that clung onto her heart. She had just gotten Oliver back against all the odds and now he was choosing to go away again. Just like he chose to go battle Ra's al Ghul for Thea.

"Hey. Am I interrupting anything?" came Ray's voice from her doorway.

"No. Come in, of course. What can I do?" Felicity offered.

"I've hit some road blocks with a nano chip design I was working on. I was wondering if you'd have a look at it," Ray said.

"Of course I'll look at it. I can't promise to be helpful though. You bring it with you?" she asked.

Ray nodded and handed her a USB drive. She plugged it into her computer and let the schematics load. She pulled up each one slowly, looking at them intently. "These are pretty complex. What do you want to use it for?" she inquired.

"It has multiple applications, but for my current purposes… the A.T.O.M suit I mentioned," Ray admitted, hesitantly.

"Wow. Ray…" Felicity started warily, but was interrupted by a knock on her office door. She looked up to see Oliver standing there patiently waiting. "Can I get back to you once I've had a moment with them?" Felicity asked.

"Sure, of course. I appreciate the help," Ray said.

Felicity's eyes hadn't left Oliver's. He was obviously uncertain. "Ray, can I have a minute?" Felicity stated more than asked Ray. Ray turned and saw Oliver standing in the doorway behind him. "Sure. Let me know what you think," he replied.

Oliver stepped into Felicity's office and took Ray's offered hand. "Good to see you, Oliver."

"Good to see you, Ray," Oliver replied genuinely. Felicity watched as Ray exited her office and was immediately stopped by another employee who engaged him in conversation. Felicity turned her attention to Oliver once the door had closed. "I don't like how we left things," Oliver said.

"Neither do I. It doesn't change that I meant what I said," Felicity admitted.

"I know. I don't want to do this, Felicity. You must believe that," Oliver said walking toward her.

Felicity stood up and moved to the front of her desk. She looked at the floor. She wasn't sure she could hold off the hysterics that threatened her if she looked into Oliver's eyes again. He moved closer to her until she could see by his shoes that he was standing right in front of her.

"Felicity. Look at me, please," Oliver said, weaving his fingers through hers.

Felicity whispered, "I can't cry in this office. Not again." She felt Oliver unlock his fingers from hers and lift them up to her chin. He slowly tilted her face up to look at him. When their eyes met, she saw fear and trepidation swimming in his. She thought her own eyes probably reflected something similar. Oliver took his fingers from underneath her chin and weaved them back in with her own. They were standing so close together their bodies were nearly touching.

"Felicity, I have to do this. I don't have a choice. But know this, I'll always come back to you. I can't do this without you," Oliver admitted. Felicity closed her eyes and let his words wash over her. She knew it was true, but she also knew this was going to destroy her.

"I can't do this again, Oliver. You don't know," Felicity said, hoping it imparted some of the hopelessness, fear, and desperation she felt.

Oliver moved forward and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips to her forehead. Felicity gripped onto his biceps. He pulled back from the gentle kiss on her forehead and just stared into her eyes. She could see the battle raging behind them.

"I can't lose you," he said fervently. Felicity sighed and replied, "Then don't. You will survive this, because if you don't… I can't. Do you understand?" Felicity implored. Oliver nodded and pulled away from Felicity, gripping her hands once again.

"I'll let you get back to work. I'm headed to see Thea. See at the Foundry tonight?" Oliver asked hopefully. "Of course. Oh my god!" Felicity gasped.

"What? What's wrong?" Oliver asked nervously.

"I need you to do me a favor. Go sit in my desk chair," Felicity instructed. Oliver obeyed. "Feel under my desk, but don't look." Oliver's brow crinkled in confusion, but he did as he was asked. "Do you feel something strange under there?" Oliver nodded in reply.

Felicity bent her head towards his and whispered, "It's the sword from yours and Ra's al Ghul's duel." A look of shock crossed his face. "How?" Oliver asked with genuine curiosity and concern.

"Merlyn," was the only response she needed to give. His face became flat in that way she knew meant he was worried and furious simultaneously. "I've been trying to think of a way to get it out of here for weeks. Any ideas?" Felicity asked, genuinely interested.

"I'll think of something to get it out of here," Oliver promised as he pushed away from behind her desk. Oliver walked toward her and gripped her hands once more, staring deep into her eyes briefly. "I'll see you later?" he asked apprehensively. "Yes," she replied.

He turned to walk away from Felicity but waited until the last possible second to relinquish her hands. She watched him exit her office and walk past Ray Palmer who was still being engaged in conversation outside her office door.

Felicity sat back at her desk and somehow felt a little better about the blade being tucked under her desk. Now that Oliver knew about it and was formulating a way to get it out of there, she was less worried. Plus, knowing it hadn't actually killed Oliver made it no longer seem like a looming malevolent presence. She pulled the schematics for Ray's chip design back up on her computer and poured over them. The nano chip seemed well-designed and would definitely be functional, but it seemed like there had to be a better, more efficient, way to accomplish what Ray was looking to achieve.

Should she even be helping Ray do this? Oliver had had extensive training and she still felt he was reckless at times- his current plans being a perfect example of that. Ray was completely untrained and he had no real idea what the true cost of what he was getting into was. She thought it over long and hard. She may regret it later, but Ray was going to attempt to do what he was doing no matter what. There was nothing she could do to stop him. At least with Felicity involved their might be fewer casualties.

A knock came from her door and she saw Ray standing there, massive frame obscuring the doorway. It seemed the person who had needed to speak to him so badly had finally finished. "Hey, I was looking at the schematics. The chip is good, but there's something not right about it. I can't decide what yet, but I'll keep looking," Felicity said.

"Great. I appreciate it." Ray said, making no motion to move or continue to say something else.

"Is there something else?" Felicity asked.

"You're in love with Oliver Queen," Ray stated.

Felicity paused momentarily and said a heartfelt, "Yes."

"At the beginning I thought you two might've been more than friends. But when you never said anything, I allowed myself to hope… but it's very different seeing the two of you together with your own eyes," Ray said hesitantly.

It slowly occurred to Felicity what she thought Ray was trying to say. He had feelings for her. Felicity had no idea how to feel. Ray was a good man. She should be flattered that someone like him had even entertained the idea of having feelings for her. She found herself feeling kind of embarrassed though. She sincerely hadn't meant to lead him on, but it was Oliver. It was always Oliver.

"I don't even need to ask if he feels the same way about you. That much was obvious," Ray said a little sadly. "Be happy," Ray said turning to exit her office. Apparently thinking better of it, Ray stopped and faced her again, "Once I have the suit working, he'll be sorry if he hurts you." Ray said it in a way she was sure was serious and almost dark for him, but she almost burst out laughing. He had no idea who he was up against.

She attempted to keep her face straight and simply say, "Thanks," in an even voice. Oliver had proven he wasn't immune to jealousy, so telling him about this particular interaction was probably not the best idea. He definitely didn't need to feel threatened by Ray romantically, however, he most certainly would not approve of Ray's A.T.O.M suit plans. What Oliver didn't know wouldn't hurt him.


	11. Chapter 11

*****Author's Note*****

I felt like the beginning of this chapter was something important to address. I find it very strange how few fan-fictions (of any genre or ship) address this. I think it is definitely important and something Felicity herself would care about. She's a practical woman, after all.

 _Chapter 11_

 **~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity dashed to her car from the pharmacy. She was trying her hardest to avoid the rain that was coming down hard. Felicity always hated having to sit around in soaking wet clothes after she was caught out in heavy rain.

Slamming the door behind her, she situated herself in the driver's seat and threw her bag of merchandise on the seat next to her. She was truly grateful to the pharmacist who had been willing to go through all her questions about the Plan B morning after pill despite the late hour. Felicity wanted to be a parent someday, but certainly not now. It was not the right time for her or for Oliver to take on such a huge responsibility. Felicity had never been careless about birth control before and she chastised herself for not being more conscientious.

She prided herself on being a modern woman, but she still felt slightly strange buying a package of condoms. She had relied on oral contraception herself before, but her previous boyfriends had always been proactive and procured condoms themselves. In Oliver's defense, he and Felicity had not been dating and the reason behind them meeting was far from romantic. Things had progressed last night in a way that she was sure neither of them foresaw, and all she could do now is be smart about the future. Despite her frustration at Oliver and the situation he had gotten himself into, she knew she still desired him too much to not be prepared for future romantic trysts with him. She'd have to broach the topic of getting tested with Oliver now too. She knew he had changed greatly in the past 8 years, but she was not disillusioned about his past behavior in his love life by any means. He'd probably be surprised to learn about of some of her previous behavior that would (ridiculously in her mind) be considered risqué and controversial.

Pulling out of the parking lot cautiously, Felicity drove in the rain toward Verdant. The drive to reach Verdant was thankfully short, so she didn't have to worry about maneuvering the Glades with visibility so greatly reduced. Felicity parked in an area that was out of the way and in close proximity to the secret entrance to the Foundry through Verdant's alleyway. Night had fallen and though it was dark outside, Felicity still shoved the bag with the items she had procured at the pharmacy underneath her passenger seat. It wouldn't do for some passerby to see a pharmacy bag on her seat and then smash her window in the hopes of finding it contained prescription drugs he/she/they could use or sell. The Glades weren't exactly the best neighborhood.

Hurrying to Verdant, Felicity walked quickly through the rain and listened the tell tale thump of Verdant's loud dance music. She noticed that very few people were outside the club thanks to the weather and was glad for it. She always had a nagging worry that someone would spy her coming or going from the secret entrance to the Foundry and get ideas to go exploring to find where she'd been/where she was going. She slipped into Verdant's alleyway entrance and headed down the restricted access stairwell to the lair. She found the lair lit and Oliver and Dig talking quietly in the middle of the room.

"Where's Roy?" Felicity inquired as she took the final steps down the staircase and reached the lair floor.

"He's trying to keep Thea distracted. Let's just say her suspicions about Oliver's mystery incarceration weren't entirely eradicated by Oliver talking to her at the loft tonight," responded Diggle. Felicity genuinely hoped Thea would get over doubts about Oliver's story. They really needed all hands on deck to help with this Ra's al Ghul problem. It wouldn't do well for her to add to their growing list of problems. Hopefully Roy and Oliver could assuage her fears more permanently.

"Okay. What's going on?" Felicity asked both Oliver and Diggle as she removed her wet coat.

"We're discussing strategies and contingency plans," Oliver answered.

"Good. Please tell me your plan consists of more than 'Maseo, or Sarab, or whoever he is is going to help me'," Felicity said not without a trace of disapproval.

Oliver kept his face from reacting and responded, "No, there's more to it. Maseo is vital, but I'm also counting on Nyssa," evenly.

"Nyssa?" Felicity said with apparent disbelief. Why on earth would Nyssa be a part of this plan? Why would she even want to help Oliver? "Why would Nyssa want to help us? She's Ra's al Ghul's daughter. And she is fiercely loyal to the League." Felicity could see that all those things had occurred to Diggle as well, making him question the choice too.

"Self-preservation," stated Oliver. "When I accept Ra's offer to become his heir, best case scenario for Nyssa is she's imprisoned for the rest of her life. Do you anticipate her taking being passed over for an outsider well either?" asked Oliver.

"No, good point. So you think she'll help?" Dig asked Oliver.

"Yes, I'm hoping her desire to survive and her anger at her father outweighs her loyalty to him. I think she'd help as long as I don't ask her to do anything she considers a step too far," finished Oliver.

"So, what will happen? Do you know?" Felicity inquired with an attempt to suppress the worry from her voice.

"Well, Ra's will come to Starling and send an emissary to fetch me to deliver his proposal to make me Ra's. When we meet, I'm sure at a League safehouse, I will accept his offer to become his successor. Then I'm sure it'll be off to Nanda Parbat. I don't know what I'll be expected to do, but once I'm there Maseo and I will work to destabilize Ra's al Ghul's leadership and weaken the League as a whole. Hopefully we'll have Nyssa's help with this," Oliver concluded. Turning to Diggle, Oliver asked, "Dig, can Lyla get me in touch with Amanda Waller?"

"Yeah, I think so. I can't see why you'd want to see her or why she'd agree to see you though," responded Dig.

"Waller will help. She knows the threat the League places. I need to know if she can house Ra's. I don't think even Lian Yu is secure enough for him," Oliver said confidently.

"Oliver…" Felicity started hesitantly. "You can't seriously believe that leaving Ra's al Ghul alive is a good idea. He's one of the most dangerous men on the planet."

"I know, Felicity. I don't make this decision lightly. I was willing to kill him and it didn't work. I don't want to kill anyone anymore. Perhaps that's why I failed," Oliver replied genuinely.

"Oliver, I've got to go with Felicity here. Ra's has to be stopped permanently. There's nowhere Waller or anyone else can stash him where he and his League buddies can't get him out. You're going to have to put him down," Dig agreed.

Oliver sighed, rubbing his hand across his face. "It'll be a last resort," was all he said in return. Felicity could tell that he didn't want to discuss it any further.

"Okay," Diggle said, raising his hands in the air in acquiescence. Felicity couldn't respond. This was not the end of that discussion. Felicity wasn't going to let Oliver's humanity be the reason she lost him again.

Suddenly a series of rapid beeps came from the bay of computers in the lair. "Saved by the bell," Felicity said moving toward the computer screens. She glanced at them momentarily and interpreted what was going on. "A call just went out to the SCPD. The alarm was triggered for a robbery at Starling National a little under a minute ago. We're closer than the station," Felicity informed them.

"Suit up," Oliver said while walking over to the case containing his suit. He pulled it off the mannequin while Diggle went to the nearby metal case and opened the gun drawer. Diggle checked the gun cartridges to ascertain whether they were full of tranquilizer darts while Oliver began to strip off his clothes nearby. Normally, Oliver would kind of step out of eye line to do so, but to Felicity's delight he stood in full view letting her drink him in partially dressed.

"Are you sure you're good to do this? You just got back. Maybe just Roy and I should go," Diggle asked Oliver as Oliver finished pulling on his hood and grabbing his gear.

"I'm good. I promise," promised Oliver sincerely.

"I've hacked into the security cameras at the bank. They had taken them down, but I've brought them back up. It looks like we're dealing with four guys. All heavily armed. Watch yourselves out there," Felicity implored.

Oliver grabbed his quiver and bow and headed toward the stairs with Dig. Fully weaponized and masked, Oliver turned back to face Felicity at the base of the stairs. After a pause he asked, "On coms?"

She confirmed, "On coms," back, watching them both head out the door. She had no reason to be nervous, Oliver had faced much worse than this before now, but she couldn't help being just a little concerned for him and Dig. If she was worried about something as trivial to Oliver as a bank robbery, how would she feel when it came time for him to go to Nanda Parbat?

 *****Author's Note*****

I hope that was an okay chapter. My brain would not shut up about this chapter and let me sleep, so I finally gave up and wrote it. Hopefully now that I've written it out, I can sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

*****Author's Note*****

I noticed a few errors with the last chapter last night, so I did some editing of it this morning. Nothing too serious was changed. Just the chapter being labeled for Oliver when it was obviously a Felicity chapter and a few sentences that were oddly worded were edited. I made the mistake of writing it and later proofreading it when I was way too tired.

This chapter is just wish-fulfillment for me. There were so many times on the show that there would be a "kissing moment" between Oliver and Felicity when Oliver was suited up and they never did anything with it. Yes, I know they couldn't show affection while he was the Arrow in front of others in order to protect Felicity, but there were plenty of times when they were in private where a kiss/love scene with the Arrow would've been magical.

I also know that Oliver's Arrow suit isn't just green leather by this point, but it's kind of awkward to say something along the lines of "green Kevlar weave fabric" instead of "green leather".

 _Chapter 13_

 **~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity could feel Oliver's mask and facial hair rub against her face as their heads rolled back and forth with their heated kiss. She pulled her face away from his, gasping, and lowered his hood before lifting off his mask and discarding it on the ground at their feet. Oliver dropped his bow next to the mask and threw away his quiver. He pulled her back to him quickly as if any time spent not kissing her would end his life.

Felicity sighed with desire as Oliver pulled her flush against his body, his hands gripping her hips tightly. Felicity's hands began pulling at his leather shirt, attempting to get it off to no avail. Oliver forcefully removed his hood and shirt in one swift motion in assistance. Felicity shuddered as she felt his firm biceps beneath her hands when he pulled her back in to resume their ferocious kiss.

It wasn't enough. Felicity's skin was flushed and overheated. She tingled wherever he touched her. She had become aroused so quickly that it surprised her. She could feel he felt the exact same way through his leather pants. She gripped him firmly through the front of his pants and he let out a low moan, his hips bucking into her small hand.

Felicity's underwear was positively soaked in her arousal. She removed her hand from Oliver's bicep and from where she had been gripping Oliver through the front of his pants. She took in heaving breaths after breaking apart their kiss. Felicity lifted up the hem of her skirt in order to be able to reach her underwear to remove them easier. The moment Oliver saw what she was doing; he lifted Felicity up, setting her on the edge of the desk. Felicity swept the keyboard that was behind her rear away, settling her body more securely on the desk.

Oliver reached his right hand down to her underwear over her sex, feeling how damp they were. Felicity sighed greedily and licked up his neck, finishing by sucking his earlobe into her mouth and biting. Oliver almost growled in response. He grabbed her underwear roughly and tore them from her body, destroying them and throwing the shredded fabric at his feet.

Felicity spread her legs wide and reached down with eager hands to undo Oliver's pants. She undid the button and zipper and forced his green leather pants and underwear down to just below his ass. Oliver's substantial length was hard and ready right in front of her. Oliver violently pulled down the top of her dress and bra strap, exposing her left shoulder and the top of her left bra. He forced her bra cup down, exposing her left breast, grabbing her nipple and pinching it hard.

Felicity groaned and dug her fingers into his rear, pushing him forward. His member hit her sex and she ground her hips against him, gripping his rear more firmly. Oliver pulled his face away from where he had been biting just above her breast. Felicity removed her hands from his buttocks and gripped the edge of the desk in anticipation. Oliver held onto himself with one hand, lining himself up with Felicity's opening. He slammed into her roughly groaning, "Fuck!" loudly as he did so.

Felicity gasped out in pleasure as she felt him hit her g-spot firmly. Oliver pulled back and thrust into her forcefully again. Felicity cried out, throwing her head back. She moved her hands to grip the base of his shoulder blades while her legs wrapped themselves around Oliver's waist, her feet resting just below his rear where his green pants had been pulled down to.

Oliver moved his hands from the small of Felicity's back and her left breast and braced them on the desk on either side of her. He pounded into her again, picking up speed. Felicity's seat on the desk became precarious as she met him thrust for thrust.

Felicity felt her pleasure building quickly. Their breaths came in harshly as Oliver continued to hammer into her at a now frantic pace. She was almost there and cried out an involuntary, "Yes!" when Oliver lowered his mouth onto her exposed nipple and bit hard. She drug her nails ruthlessly down his back, and he growled and rotated his hips in her in response. Felicity bit his neck softly as she felt her inner walls begin to tremble against Oliver.

Oliver entered her more forcefully than he had before, hitting her g-spot yet again. Felicity's orgasm erupted violently. She convulsed against him and wrapped her legs tightly around him as her pleasure spun out of control. He pounded into her for a couple more thrusts, during which Felicity grabbed onto Oliver's ass again firmly. She felt his dick twitch inside her as he began to spill himself into her, moaning, "Felicity," as he stilled.

Both of their breaths came in gasping heaves as she and Oliver came down from their orgasms. Oliver stood between Felicity's legs and leaned his head on her bare left shoulder. They stayed connected together as Felicity continued to pant.

"Wow," Felicity said sated.

"Absolutely," Oliver replied sincerely.

Felicity and Oliver pulled back to look at each other's faces. Felicity smiled at him and said, "You owe me another pair of underwear, Mister," mischievously. Oliver laughed and extricated himself from between her legs. He gave Felicity his hand to help her back down from her prior sitting position on the desk. Once she was standing Felicity again, she straightened her dress as Oliver pulled up his pants.

She'd dreamed about them making love while he had been dressed as the Arrow before, but it was nothing like this. This had been beyond intense. Felicity knew that it had been because of his stress and concern over the situation that had just transpired upstairs. Her safety being threatened brought something primal out in Oliver. While she hated that his worry is what brought this intensity on, even if she had thoroughly enjoyed the extreme passion as it was happening. She'd definitely love to do this again. Under different circumstances that is.


	13. Chapter 13

*****Author's Note*****

I noticed a few errors with the last chapter last night, so I did some editing of it this morning. Nothing too serious was changed. Just the chapter being labeled for Oliver when it was obviously a Felicity chapter, and a few sentences that were oddly worded were edited. I made the mistake of writing it and later proofreading it when I was way too tired.

This chapter is just wish-fulfillment for me. There were so many times on the show that there would be a "kissing moment" between Oliver and Felicity when Oliver was suited up and they never did anything with it. Yes, I know they couldn't show affection while he was the Arrow in front of others in order to protect Felicity, but there were plenty of times when they were in private where a kiss/love scene with the Arrow would've been magical.

I also know that Oliver's Arrow suit isn't just green leather by this point, but it's kind of awkward to say something along the lines of "green Kevlar weave fabric" instead of "green leather".

 _Chapter 13_

 **~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity could feel Oliver's mask and facial hair rub against her face as their heads rolled back and forth with their heated kiss. She pulled her face away from his, gasping, and lowered his hood before lifting off his mask and discarding it on the ground at their feet. Oliver dropped his bow next to the mask and threw away his quiver. He pulled her back to him quickly as if any time spent not kissing her would end his life.

Felicity sighed with desire as Oliver pulled her flush against his body, his hands gripping her hips tightly. Felicity's hands began pulling at his leather shirt, attempting to get it off to no avail. Oliver forcefully removed his hood and shirt in one swift motion in assistance. Felicity shuddered as she felt his firm bisceps beneath her hands when he pulled her back in to resume their ferocious kiss.

It wasn't enough. Felicity's skin was flushed and overheated. She tingled wherever he touched her. She had become aroused so quickly that it shocked her. She could feel he felt the exact same way through his leather pants. She gripped him firmly through the front of his pants and he let out a low moan, his hips bucking into her small hand.

Felicity's underwear were positively soaked in her arousal. She removed her hand from Oliver's biscep and from where she had been gripping Oliver through the front of his pants. She took in heaving breaths after breaking apart their kiss. Felicity lifted up the hem of her skirt in order to be able to reach her underwear to remove them easier. The moment Oliver saw what she was doing, he lifted Felicity up, setting her on the edge of the desk. Felicity swept the keyboard that was behind her rear away, settling herself more securely on the desk.

Oliver reached his right hand down to her underwear over her sex, feeling how damp they were. Felicity sighed greedily and licked up his neck, finishing by sucking his earlobe into her mouth and biting. Oliver almost growled in response. He grabbed her underwear roughly and tore them from her body, destroying them and throwing the shredded fabric at his feet.

Felicity spread her legs wide and reached down with eager hands to undo Oliver's pants. She undid the button and zipper and forced his green leather pants and underwear down to just below his ass. Oliver's substantial length was hard and ready right in front of her. Oliver violently pulled down the top of her dress and bra strap, exposing her left shoulder and the top of her left bra. He forced her bra cup down, exposing her left breast, grabbing her nipple and pinching it hard.

Felicity groaned and dug her fingers into his rear, pushing him forward. His member hit her sex and she ground her hips against him, gripping his rear more firmly. Oliver pulled his face away from where he had been biting just above her breast. Felicity removed her hands from his buttocks and gripped the edge of the desk in anticipation. Oliver held onto himself with one hand, lining himself up with Felicity's opening. He slammed into her roughly groaning, "Fuck!" loudly as he did so.

Felicity gasped out in pleasure as she felt him hit her g-spot firmly. Oliver pulled back and thrust into her forcefully again. Felicity cried out, throwing her head back. She moved her hands to grip the base of his shoulder blades while her legs wrapped themselves around Oliver's waist, her feet resting just below his rear where his green pants had been pulled down to.

Oliver moved his hands from the small of Felicity's back and her left breast and braced them on the desk on either side of her. He pounded into her again, picking up speed. Felicity's seat on the desk became precarious as she met him thrust for thrust.

Felicity felt pleasure building quickly. Their breaths came in harshly as Oliver continued to hammer into her at a now frantic pace. She was almost there and cried out an involuntary, "Yes!" when Oliver lowered his mouth onto her exposed nipple and bit hard. She drug her nails ruthlessly down his back, and he growled and rotated his hips in her in response. Felicity bit his neck softly as she felt her inner walls begin to tremble against Oliver.

Oliver entered her more forcefully than he had before, hitting her g-spot yet again. Felicity's orgasm erupted violently. She convulsed against him and wrapped her legs tightly around him as her pleasure spun out of control. He pounded into her for a couple more thrusts, during which Felicity grabbed onto Oliver's ass again firmly. She felt his dick twitch inside her as he began to spill himself into her, moaning, "Felicity," as he stilled.

Both of their breaths came in gasping heaves as she and Oliver came down from their orgasms. Oliver stood between Felicity's legs and leaned his head on her bare left shoulder. They stayed connected together as Felicity continued to pant.

"Wow," Felicity said sated.

"Absolutely," Oliver replied sincerely.

Felicity and Oliver pulled back to look at each other's faces. Felicity smiled at him and said, "You owe me another pair of underwear, Mister," mischievously. Oliver laughed and extricated himself from between her legs. He gave Felicity his hand to help her back down from her prior sitting position on the desk. Once she was standing Felicity again, she straightened her dress as Oliver pulled up his pants.

She'd dreamed about them making love while he had been dressed as the Arrow before, but it was nothing like this. This had been beyond intense. Felicity knew that it had been because of his stress and concern over the situation that had just transpired upstairs. Her safety being threatened brought something primal out in Oliver. While she hated that his worry is what brought this intensity on, she had thoroughly enjoyed the extreme passion as it was happening. She'd definitely love to do this again. Under different circumstances that is.


	14. Chapter 14

*****QUESTION*****

As I was trying to fall asleep last night, my brain decided to throw an idea for a couple of chapters at me. The question is, while they're a nice little addition, they're not really important to the overall plot and they do delay us getting to the meat of dealing with Ra's al Ghul. Would you: A.) Prefer I skip those chapters in order to get to the bulk of the story faster (even though those chapters may help set up sub stories and/or spin-offs later) or B.) Like to read them because hell, what's the worst that could happen by adding a couple of extra chapters? I have a serious problem that if I don't write something down, I can think of nothing else. So I may just write the chapters regardless, but it's a matter of posting them to the story I want opinions on. Yea or nay on the ultimately-unimportant-to-this-story-but-may-set-up-future-stories chapters?

 _Chapter 14_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver stood next to Felicity's car with his arms wrapped around her. The night air was brisk and damp. "Thea wants to have dinner tonight. I'm sure the express purpose of which is to try to coerce what really happened out of me. I'm sure you're more than welcome," Oliver said, reluctant to leave Felicity.

Smiling, Felicity responded with, "Oliver, we both know that me coming for dinner means me really coming to stay the night. Which really means me coming over for sexcapades, which really just means me just coming," in a matter of fact way. Realizing what it sounded like she said, Felicity stopped, eyes growing wide. "I mean. Yes, coming as in to coming dinner, not as in coming like when we have sex. Which I obviously do. A lot. Not that I'd ever say that to your sister. Or anyone else either!" Felicity rushed out. She stopped and lowered her head in embarrassment. "Why don't you stop me? Why don't you ever stop me? You just let me dig myself in further and further," she responded, looking back at Oliver with annoyance.

Oliver found himself on the verge of laughter so frequently with Felicity. He loved her rambling and unintended double entendres. "Because it's endearing and one of the things I love about you," Oliver replied with a huge grin that had found its way to his face. Felicity seemed heartened at what he said, but still annoyed. "You sure you don't want to come?" Oliver said, trying to hide how much he wanted her there.

"Yes. I have things to catch up on at home anyway. Have fun dodging Thea's questions," Felicity replied with an amused smile.

Oliver kissed Felicity softly for a brief moment. Pulling back, he said, "Go catch up then." Oliver removed his arms from around Felicity and she shifted to open her car door. He wanted to tell her he'd miss her and beg her to come, but he refrained. His anxiety over the events that had happened to Felicity in the club that night had passed, but the ever present knowledge that he'd have to leave her soon still weighed on him. Oliver stepped away from her car as she pulled away from the parking area near Verdant. He stood and watched her car drive away until he could no longer see her taillights.

Walking over to his own nearby motorcycle, Oliver started to make his way to the loft he and his sister shared. Dinner was going to be an adventure. Thea was often too observant and intuitive for her own good. He was lucky that she had bought, or convinced herself to eventually accept, many of his past far-fetched excuses for missed engagements or suspicious injuries. Hopefully this time would be no different.

Oliver always felt sad at the huge discrepancy he saw when maneuvering his bike through the Glades and then the more affluent neighborhood of Starling where Thea, and by extension he, lived. It had never bothered him growing up, but ever since returning from Lian Yu, Hong Kong, Russia, and so many other places, he saw the devastation his own family had caused and it hurt him greatly. He had witnessed so much more of the world and the suffering in it no longer escaped him. He was still a frequently selfish man, but he was no longer oblivious to the sorrows of others.

The streets in the Glades were ancient and riddled with pot holes and fallen, missing, or destroyed fixtures that never seemed to get repaired or replaced. The sidewalks were crumbling and narrow. Oliver was certain every sidewalk he passed by was unusable for a wheelchair or stroller. The business fronts and homes all need painting and repairs, from things as minor as replacing a blown light bulb to fixing a fully boarded up window.

The streets in the rest of Starling City were almost immaculate. You might find a damaged street, but it most certainly wasn't serious and it always had a rapid response in plans to be fixed. The streets and sidewalks gleamed from the frequent street sweeping and trash removal. The sidewalks were wide and accessible. All the businesses and homes were if not well-manicured, at least maintained.

The Glades had never gotten half the attention the rest of Starling did and it definitely required more. None of this would change until someone stepped in. Oliver could put arrows in every criminal in Starling City, Central City, Opal City, Ivy Town, and Detroit and it wouldn't do a bit of good if City Hall refused to give funding to help the infrastructure and people of the Glades. Oliver felt rather hopeless about the situation at times but he knew he had to do something until someone who was willing to help the Glades (and wasn't a murderous psychopath like Sebastian Blood) took power.

Oliver parked his Ducati in the protected indoor parking structure for the loft. After ascending the elevator to nearly the top floor of the building, he exited into the hallway outside Thea's loft. Oliver entered to find a casually dressed Thea setting the dinner table with two place settings.

"I heard about the club. Are you okay?" Oliver inquired, taking a few impossibly long steps into the apartment and wrapping Thea in a hug.

"I'm fine, I promise. Roy and I were outside the office when the commotion started. We snuck all the people nearby in there and barricaded the door. Mandi is pretty shaken up though. The guy toting the gun came up to her when she was behind the bar and asked about someone. When she didn't know who he was talking about, the guy freaked. Lost it and pulled the gun on her. She was less than two feet away when he fired shot," Thea informed shrugging out of Oliver's hug. "Luckily, it seems like he's a shit shot, because he missed her by like a mile. She's still really upset though. Do you know if Sara is going to be in town, because it'd be great if she could cover for Mandi. Mandi deserves a few days off," Thea asked innocently as she turned back to finish setting the table.

Oliver took care to keep his face perfectly blank. He really wanted to show the devastation and anger he felt at that moment, but he couldn't. He wanted so desperately to tell Thea that Sara was dead and she was never coming back, but Oliver never could. Thea would want to know what happened to Sara and Oliver couldn't tell her. He knew she wouldn't believe any lie he told her about Sara's death and he couldn't tell her the truth. She would never forgive herself if she knew that she had killed Sara. He would always hate Malcolm for what he had done. He'd kill the bastard if he could. "No, but I'll ask Laurel," Oliver lied smoothly.

Putting his jacket on the couch, Oliver walked into the kitchen and pulled a glass out of the cabinet and a bottle of red wine off the counter. "What's for dinner?" he asked Thea.

"Table Salt. It'll have to be re-heated though. I picked it up before the club opened today. Grilled salmon for you and eggplant for me. How can you stand to eat fish anymore anyway? Didn't you eat like a ton of it on the island? I'd think you'd never want to touch it again," Thea asked.

Oliver let out a small chuckle and let the question hang. True that he had eaten an enormous amount of fish on the island, but he couldn't exactly tell Thea that he had had access to all sorts of dietary options because doing so would reveal he wasn't always on the island for five years. "Sounds good," Oliver said as he placed the wine on the table and handed Thea a glass. She finished putting her food in her microwave. "So, what's up?" Oliver asked grabbing himself a glass of water.

"Can't I just want to have dinner with my brother?" she responded with feigned innocence. Oliver raised an eyebrow in return. Just then his cell phone rang out. He pulled it from his pocket and saw Roy's face on screen.

"I should take this," he told Thea, stepping away from her. "Yes," Oliver answered the phone.

"It's taken care of," Roy stated immediately.

"Great. Thanks." Oliver replied with apparent relief.

"No problem. What's the point of knowing a reformed thief if you can't have him steal evidence from underneath a teammate's desk?" Roy joked.

"What did you do with it?" Oliver asked quietly.

"It's at the lair. Oliver…" Roy paused for a moment, "Felicity told us what it looked like when she told us you were dead, but she really didn't do it justice. Holy shit. How are you alive?" Roy asked sincerely.

"I ask myself that all the time. Thanks for taking care of Thea too," Oliver thanked Roy again.

"It took everything within me not to go out there and help you and Dig, but I knew if I did, she'd want to go out too and you'd kill me if that happened," he replied.

"Damn straight," Oliver replied honestly. "We had it under control. You were where you needed to be," Oliver finished.

"'Night man. Keep me updated on any developments," Roy told Oliver.

"Done," Oliver said immediately hanging up.

"Sorry about that," Oliver apologized turning back to Thea, who had distributed the food to their plates.

"No problem. Eat." Thea commanded while taking her seat. Oliver followed and sat in the chair directly across from her. "How're things going? It looks like Verdant continues to do well," Oliver asked as they both began to tuck into their food.

"Come on, Oliver. You're not getting away with that," Thea responded with slight aggravation.

"Getting away with what?" Oliver asked smoothly.

"You know what. Ned Foster said you didn't call him when you got arrested. He couldn't find record of you calling _any_ attorney. What the hell, Oliver?" Thea demanded.

Oliver knew this dinner was an interrogation in disguise, he just thought it'd take longer to get around to. He had come up with another lie on the way over that he hoped would appease her. He felt like shit telling her it because he knew what it meant to her personally, but he had no choice. With a frustrated sigh, Oliver started, "Thea, I didn't want to tell you."

"Tell me what?" She asked with the smallest hint of irritation.

"I needed to stay in jail," Oliver replied.

Shock crossed Thea's face. "Why?" she asked earnestly.

"Don't' bother asking details, because I won't tell you. They aren't mine to tell. I met up with a friend. He got into trouble and I got caught up in the wake. We were arrested, which was probably a good thing. I didn't fight hard to get myself out quickly because I didn't want to leave him alone in prison. Leave him alone with the… temptations there," Oliver continued.

"Temptations?" Thea prompted.

"He has a Vertigo problem, Thea. I couldn't let him go through withdrawal alone," Oliver lied with finality.

Thea's face froze. An emotion he couldn't identify brewed behind her eyes. Oliver began to see the heartbreak and pain creep onto her face. "You're a good friend. Thank you for not leaving him," Thea said sincerely. Oliver felt thoroughly guilty. He was a piece of shit for playing on his sister's sympathy towards those who had been caught up in the destructive nature of Vertigo. Ever since she had gotten into her Vertigo-induced car accident, she was horrified by the damage she saw it did to people's lives. After all, she had nearly taken someone else's life, or lost her own, because of her foolish desire to take it. The good thing to come from that experience, and the subsequent trial to follow, was that it was Thea's rock bottom. She had been through so much heartache since that day and still had not collapsed back into the despair that drove her to the comfort of being pharmaceutically altered.

Oliver and Thea finished up their meal, making small talk about Verdant, friends of the family, and other mundane topics. Oliver insisted on doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen afterward since Thea had procured their meal. Thank god she hadn't actually attempted to cook. When everything was tidy, they went to the couch and started a movie. Oliver let Thea pick some trashy chick flick in the hopes that it would distract her from the hurtful lie he had told about his fictional time in jail. Minutes from the movie ending, Oliver saw movement on the fire escape outside the enormous window that was the outer wall to their expansive apartment. Just as Oliver was about to spring to his feet, he glimpsed the features of the poorly lit figure.

 *****Author's Note*****

Sorry for the ridiculously long chapter. Everything plays in my head like a movie, so I have an enormous problem editing material out. I hope it wasn't unbearable.


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter 15_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Maseo Yamashiro made quick eye contact with Oliver and jerked his head, indicating to him that he wanted to speak with him on the balcony. "Well, that's two hours of my life I'll never get back. What're you looking at?" Thea inquired, having caught Oliver looking away from the television.

Oliver hurriedly responded, "Oh, just looking out the window. The city looks nice tonight," hoping that Thea wouldn't sense anything amiss with his reply.

"You're right, I guess," Thea replied, puzzled. He could tell she found him supposedly admiring the city at night odd, but she thankfully chose to say nothing.

After turning back to look at Thea, Oliver said, "Listen, I'm pretty tired. I think I'm going to call it a night. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah, you're probably right. I should head to bed too. Goodnight. Get some sleep," Thea said back. Thea stood up from the couch as Oliver made a show of turning off all the entertainment center electronics and walking towards the kitchen to presumably get a glass of water. Thea gave Oliver a small smile as she started heading up the stairs to her bedroom. As soon as he heard her door close on the upper landing, Oliver walked away from the kitchen and glanced up the stairs. Confident that Thea was in her room for the rest of the night, Oliver made his way towards the balcony door and stealthily opened it. Stepping out into the cold, Oliver found Maseo dressed in his traditional League garb and carefully hidden in the shadows of the balcony.

"Maseo," Oliver greeted.

"Oliver, my name is Sarab," Maseo reprimanded. Oliver sighed but didn't bother to reply, instead waiting for Maseo to continue. "The Demon's Head has discovered your continued survival."

"That was quicker than we thought. That's not good," Oliver stated.

"Quick or slow, the timing of his discovery does not matter. The result is the same. I was sent here as an advanced guard to inquire as to your status before Ra's al Ghul presents his deal to you. As I knew he would," Maseo added.

"How long do we have until Ra's comes?" Oliver asked, the gravity of what they were about to do hung over him.

"I can be here for a couple days to assess you, but I will need to return to Nanda Parbatt soon. Ra's al Ghul will want to leave soon after I give him my report. I would say you have no more than a week," Maseo replied seriously.

Oliver suddenly felt more tired than he had since before his fall from the mountain. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his right index finger and thumb and closed his eyes. How could it be so soon? He thought he'd have more time to prepare. More time to prepare and more time to be with Felicity. He internally braced himself as he started to feel his resolve give a momentary slip. There were no options. This had to be done. "Thank you, Maseo," Oliver thanked with a slight nod in Maseo's direction. Maseo nodded back in return and went to climb down the fire escape.

Oliver waited until Maseo was no longer in view to turn around and reenter his and Thea's shared living space. Oliver noiselessly closed the door behind him after stepping back into the warm loft. His mind was a tangled mess of emotions as he ascended the stairs to his own room. Though still lavishly furnished, his room now seemed stark and cold. Oliver steadily started to undress as his thoughts continued to spin around wildly.

How was he going to do this? How could he leave Felicity? What if Nyssa refused to help? What if Ra's asked something of Oliver he absolutely could not do? What if his cover was blown? What if Maseo changed his mind? What if he failed?

Oliver lay on top of his bed in his underwear, continuing to be consumed by his worries and attempting to make plans. Wondering how would he tell Felicity stayed at the forefront of his mind. He thought they'd have weeks before he had to leave, when days would have been more accurate. He couldn't help but feel bitter at the situation. This was totally unfair to both Felicity and him. He was afraid Felicity would resent him for this as much as he resented this happening.

Oliver's eyes flew open with a start. His heart raced as he lay in bed panting and covered in sweat. He wasn't sure exactly when he had fallen asleep, but he had definitely woken from a nightmare. He couldn't help but be glad that he retained no memory of the dream because he had a vague feeling the dream contained Felicity. The next few days were going to be hard enough without a nightmare about Felicity sitting in the back of his mind.

Light has flooded his bedroom, prompting Oliver to look at his nearby alarm clock. 7 AM. It was still early and the amount of sleep he had gotten was far from adequate. After momentarily debating the merits of trying to get more sleep, Oliver rose from his large bed and stretched, deciding that staying in bed would be wasted effort. There was no way that his mind was going to be diverted from what lay ahead and allow him to obtain more rest.

After a much needed shower, Oliver donned some well worn jeans and a navy long-sleeved button-up shirt and descended the stairs into the living room barefoot. Oliver made his way to the kitchen and turned on the coffeemaker. He listened to the soft bubbling and hissing air as he heard it preparing the cup. Thank god for automatic coffeemakers.

Oliver turned to the refrigerator in search of a quick breakfast. He doubted he would be able to taste much of anything with how preoccupied his mind was with the upcoming journey. Oliver removed the milk and an apple from the refrigerator and turned to the cupboard that contained his high-protein granola. Gathering a bowl and spoon, Oliver combined a hefty portion of the granola and milk together and began to tuck in. The coffeemaker sounded the completion of his coffee and Oliver walk over to retrieve his awaiting mug.

He stood in the kitchen and chewed each mouthful of cereal automatically as his brain continued to fret over what would happen over the next couple of days. He alternated between bites of the nutty granola and swallows of the rich and warm black coffee. He was feeling a little more human and awake the more he ate and drank, but he was still making very little progress formulating definitive plans. It was probably due to the fact that every time he made headway with an idea, the fact that he would have to tell Felicity he would leaving in a matter of days hit him again.

Abandoning his empty cereal bowl in the sink, Oliver started himself a second cup of coffee. He would definitely need the extra energy it afforded today. Once his coffee was finished, Oliver carried it and his remaining apple over to the living room couch. He turned on the television and hastily turned down the volume so it was just above a murmur. His childhood had taught him better than to wake up his baby sister this early. She could be a monster when grouchy. Flicking around channels, Oliver found the morning news and began to watch.

Oliver bit into his apple and was immediately reminded of his night with Felicity when he had returned home. He remembered how warm her lips were pressed against his and how he could taste apple on her tongue. Oliver sighed in resignation. How was he going to bring himself to tell her that he would be gone again in a matter of days? Thea's footsteps descending the stairs interrupted Oliver's thoughts.

"Did I wake you?" Oliver asked.

"No. I smelled the coffee," Thea stated, making her way to the kitchen in search of her own mug of coffee. "What are your plans for today? I don't have anything going on until I have to open the club," Thea said.

"Nothing yet, but it's barely 8 AM. Why?" Oliver asked. Just as Thea opened her mouth to reply, Oliver's phone rang. He pulled the phone from his pants pocket and saw Felicity's sweet smile on screen. He couldn't help the smile that found his own face when he thought of talking to her. "One sec, Thea," Oliver said, holding up one finger to indicate he'd resume talking to her after he got off the phone.

Oliver answered the phone with a glad, "Hi."

"Hi," Felicity replied. Oliver could hear the mutual smile in her voice. "I wanted to see if you wanted to have breakfast before I head in to work."

"Damn, you're too late. If you'd only called half an hour ago. Rain check?" Oliver said with a hint of amusement. Oliver heard Felicity laugh lightly on the other end.

"Sounds good. I'll see you tonight though?" Felicity asked, for some reason sounding unsure.

"Yes. See you tonight," Oliver assured. He wanted to finish by saying he loved her, but his sister was mere yards from him and watching him closely.

"Bye," Felicity said softly.

"Bye," Oliver replied trying to somehow imbue it with the words with 'I love you'. He hung up the phone and suppressed a sigh. His eyes met Thea's. He could see the glint of intuition behind her eyes. He wasn't going to be able to escape this now.

"Who was that?" Thea asked with a wickedly.

"That was Felicity," Oliver replied evenly.

"Oh, really? Because that didn't sound like a conversation you and Felicity typically have," Thea mischievously prodded with a grin on her face. "I haven't seen a smile like that on your face in quite a while. Is Felicity perchance the reason for the smile?"

"Thea, mind your own business," Oliver reprimanded.

She let off an unladylike scoff and demanded, "Just like you mind yours? Please. What's going on? Spill."

"Fine. We're seeing each other. It's new. Really new. Back off now, okay, Speedy?" Oliver responded revealing the small annoyance he felt at her continued questioning.

"Fine. Fine. I'll drop it. For now," Thea acquiesced with both her palms in the air.

Oliver jumped to his feet, suddenly anxious to get productive. "I'm going to head out. I have some errands to run," Oliver called back to Thea as he climbed the stairs to his room. Dodging into his room, he grabbed the first pair of socks he saw from his small dresser and immediately headed back down the stairs. "I'll catch up to you later tonight," Oliver said while balancing to pull on his socks at the base of the stairs. He walked over to Thea at the kitchen table and gave her a swift one armed hug while she looked at his sudden change of demeanor with confusion. Oliver moved towards the front door and shoved his feet into the shoes he'd left there while grabbing his coat and keys from the nearby chair.

"Okay, I guess, I'll see you later," Thea replied bewildered. Oliver smiled at her and exited through their front door. As he closed the door behind himself, he heard Thea's voice call out, "Hey! Come clean up your shit! Raisa isn't here anymore and I sure as shit am not cleaning up after you!" Oliver smiled to himself over Thea's reproach, and he began briskly down the hall. There was much that needed to be done and he was ready to get started.

 ****A/N****

The page break I made would not stay no matter what I tried, so apologies if Oliver waking up seemed abrasive. There had been a page break right above it, but it wouldn't show here for some reason.


	16. Chapter 16

****A/N****

I really struggled writing this chapter. I strongly dislike Ray, so I really didn't like being in his head for this chapter. I hope this isn't unbearable and it makes sense.

 _Chapter 16_

 **~`+`~ Ray ~`+`~**

Two words. That's all it had taken. Ray had walked into Felicity's office to speak to her about the quarterly reports and found she was out. He couldn't help but be a little relieved as he was still a little self-conscious after having told her how he felt about her. As he was about to exit her office and leave a message with her assistant, he noticed a stack of familiar blueprints on her desk. They were the blueprints of his specs for the nano chip he developed to make his A.T.O.M suit functional. Unfortunately, the chip didn't seem to work. On top of the stack of documents was a sticky note that simply read " _Quantum processor?"_ in neat handwriting. His mind began to race excitedly. Ray had given Felicity the faulty plans less than an hour ago and she had already solved the issue. The nano chip he had designed was worthless. He actually needed a quantum processor. He was beyond lucky to have the genius that was Felicity Megan Smoak in his life.

Felicity's revelation had energized Ray to a manic degree. He knew how to complete his suit now. He returned home after stealing a massive amount of materials from the research and development lab of Palmer Tech. Thank god he owned Palmer Technologies. All he had to do was call his executive assistant and tell her to replace the pilfered items. No requisitions forms (that would have undoubtedly been denied) needed to be processed.

Ray locked himself in his enormous apartment and got to building. He frequently found his stomach aggressively growling and realized he hadn't eaten in hours. He was starting to grow discombobulated from exhaustion, but he repressed the feeling. After many hours, Ray finished building the quantum processor. He installed the completed processor in the correct circuit board in his suit and crossed his fingers.

Ray sat facing the technological marvel assembled in front of him. He was sure many people would have thought of creating something like the A.T.O.M suit, but thanks to Felicity he was going to succeed. He'd be able to stop what happened to Anna from happening to someone else. He'd help usher in a new age of a safe Starling, making it the Star City he wanted.

Starting his recording for documentation, Ray said quietly, "Starting A.T.O.M suit quantum processor test." He reached his hand forward toward the mess of wires, circuits, metal, and dwarf star alloy and took a steadying breath. Ray turned on the suit and watched it light up. His heart swelled in his chest and his excitement budded. This was it.

 **~`+`~16 hours later~`+`~**

Ray's test runs of the suit had been successful. He felt like he was ready to crawl out of his skin in excitement. Ray had spent a large portion of the day hacking into various computer databases and setting the computers in his home and A.T.O.M suit to alert him to any crisis in the city. Ray paced his apartment in anticipation of using his suit in the capacity it was built for the first time.

After several hours, Ray's computer rang out in warning. Ray ran over to the monitor from where he had been pacing and read the offered information. A signal consistent with a remote device to control an explosive had been detected in the warehouse district of the Glades. It was late, but the area the signal originated from was far from vacant. Ray wasn't going to let even one person die because of an explosion.

Ray strategically put on the A.T.O.M suit and braced himself. He could do this. He would defuse the bomb if there was enough time, or he could fly it out of the radius where it would harm anyone. He was ready.

Ray walked onto his balcony and situated himself not to damage his apartment. With a deep breath, he rocketed into the night sky. Ray would never get over the exhilaration he felt when flying in the suit. He sped as quickly as the suit would take him towards the group of warehouses the signal came from. He let the software in his suit search for the bomb as he hovered high in the sky just above the warehouses. He found the explosive quickly. To his dismay, the suit registered four people standing or squatting next to the bomb. Ray's heart began to race. He had to get them outside of the blast radius.

As he braced himself to fly in and warn the people, the signal to the bomb died. Ray's confusion outweighed his relief at the eliminated danger. What had happened? Had the bomb been faulty? He adjusted the settings in his suit to pick up any noise in the vicinity of the people around the device. Had these people planted the bomb and changed their minds?

"We're good?" asked a slight body with a weary male voice.

"Yeah, we're good, Roy," a large form assured in a deep voice with a sigh.

"Did Layla contact Waller?" a vaguely familiar man's voice asked.

"Yes, Layla's got a team on the way. They've got the necessary equipment for a safe disposal," the deep voice replied.

"You sure giving the bomb to A.R.G.U.S is the best idea? No offense, Dig," asked a small female form who was crouched next to the diffused explosive. Ray's insides froze. He'd know that sweet voice anywhere. It was Felicity. What the hell was Felicity doing there?

"The only other place that could possibly secure the bomb's technology is S.T.A.R Labs and we both know Barry would not support it being housed there. A.R.G.U.S is our best bet, Felicity," said the familiar male.

"I'll do another perimeter sweep while we wait for the team to get here," the first voice, Roy, spoke after a momentary silence.

"Good. Felicity sweep for more signals just to be safe," Ray felt certain he knew who was speaking. "Dig, stay with the bomb and monitor A.R.G.U.S when they arrive. Everyone stay on coms, just in case." The man who was speaking obviously held some kind of authority with this group. A group that included Felicity. Ray felt himself growing angry.

"Copy," said the man called Dig and the man called Roy, simultaneously. Ray saw the smaller figure run away from the group. The shape he was sure was Felicity rose to her feet and moved to exit the warehouse with what appeared to be a tablet in her hands. The larger shape with the familiar voice followed her closely.

"As if I need to be told to look for more signals," Felicity said with a small shake of her head, "This isn't my first rodeo. I'm not picking anything else up. I think we're in the clear," she finished clearly as she exited the confines of the warehouse into the cool night air. Ray looked down at her from where he remained hovering in the black sky. It was definitely Felicity below him.

"Good. I'll go sweep the perimeter with Roy." Ray watched astonished as the Arrow followed Felicity into the parking lot outside the warehouse. The Arrow? Felicity knew the Arrow? They definitely appeared to know each other but Ray suppressed his desire to jump to conclusions, determined not to make up his mind until he spoke to Felicity.

Felicity reached out her hand and lightly grabbed the Arrow by his wrist that wasn't holding his intimidating bow. "Is something wrong?" she asked with concern in her voice. Ray could see the wrinkle that Felicity got when she was worried between her eyes. Ray could only see part of the Arrow's face, but under the Arrow's mask Ray could see the earnestness behind his eyes.

"Yes, it's fine," the Arrow replied with warmth. Ray was sure they knew each other outside of this one encounter. Felicity was obviously familiar enough with the Arrow to feel comfortable touching him and the Arrow looked at her in a way that almost made Ray feel uncomfortable. The Arrow bent down and swiftly kissed Felicity. Ray knew the shock he felt registered on his face. Felicity and the Arrow. Felicity and the Arrow?

In that moment, everything suddenly became clear. Ray had seen Oliver Queen look at Felicity exactly the same way the Arrow had. Even their body language together was the same. Oliver Queen was the Arrow. Felicity dropped her hand from the Arrow's wrist and watched him walk away in the direction the man called Roy had gone.

Ray already knew, but in order to confirm his epiphany, Ray looked at the retreating Arrow and turned the high spectrum portable radiograph display on in his suit. He waited as the suit's hardware scanned the Arrow's facial features from underneath his hood and mask. As the A.T.O.M suit continued to render an image of the Arrow's undisguised face, the facial recognition program he had stolen from Felicity began to do its work. Moments later, a digital rendering of Oliver Queen's face started back him from the display inside his helmet. He didn't need to wait for the database to be searched for an identity confirmation, but two seconds later the software Felicity had created confirmed what Ray Palmer had already known.

Oliver Queen is the Arrow. Oliver Queen is the Arrow and Felicity works with him. Ray felt a wave of anger and betrayal rush over him. He sped off back into the night sky towards his apartment.


	17. Chapter 17

*****A/N:** I'm sorry for the delay with this update. I have struggled so much to write this. Not only have I been insanely busy with the holidays, but I lost my outline for this story and had to redo it. It has taken an insane amount of time and I'm still not done. It also doesn't help that I really dislike Ray so I really don't enjoy being in his mind for this chapter. I don't know if I'll have a chance to post another chapter before the year is over, so I hope you all had a happy holiday season and new year, however it is you celebrate it.

 _Chapter 17_

 **~`+`~ Ray ~`+`~**

Ray spent the day trying his damndest to focus on work. After spending hours angrily pacing his apartment the previous night, Ray headed into the office in a huff during the wee hours of the morning. He stayed there attempting to work alone until his staff came in several hours later. His anger and feelings of betrayal continued to stay at the forefront of his mind regardless of the project he was tackling.

Ray felt a stab of remorse when he saw his executive assistant flinch when he loudly demanded she get him a cup of coffee and the head of Palmer Tech's patent department on the line. Ray had always prided himself on being cordial and fair to all his employees and to people less than him, but last night's events had obviously obliterated any capability he had of treating anyone with any level of warmth. He was gruff and he knew it. He could tell the employees around him were concerned about what could have him behaving so uncharacteristically, but he wasn't about to enlighten them about the situation that had lead to his current demeanor.

As the afternoon neared, Felicity walked into Ray's office. He could tell something was wrong with her. She was visibly out-of-sorts. The crease she wore between her eyes when she was worried broadcast that fact clearly. Normally, this would have brought a protective instinct out in Ray, but he found it completely absent due to the anger that still boiled under his surface.

"I looked over your nano chip plans, and while you are brilliant Ray, this was a complete failure on your part. The good news is I fixed it in about two hours," Felicity said with a small smile that didn't touch her eyes. He could tell she was trying to lighten the uneasy mood she sensed by teasing him, as she so often did when she succeeded in solving a problem that Ray had struggled with. Ray would never admit it but sometimes it really bruised his ego when she did so. "Hey, it was a joke. Relax." After a pause Felicity continued, "What's wrong?"

"Oliver Queen is the Arrow," Ray stated in an upset, matter-of-fact tone.

Felicity froze with a shocked look on her face in response to his statement. After a brief moment, she broke into hysterical nervous laughter. "Uh huh. Sure, Ray. What even makes you think that? He was cleared two years ago so it's not even possible for him to be the Arrow. Plus, Oliver Queen? Come on," Felicity anxiously rambled.

"Wow. I told myself when you walked in here that you wouldn't lie to me. I guess I was wrong," letting the obvious hurt he felt sound in his voice.

Felicity didn't respond for a long time, but finally settled on asking, "How?"

"I flew to the Glades' warehouses to disarm the explosive when its radio signal was detected by Palmer Tech's transmission towers," Ray started.

"You got the suit working?" Felicity asked with obvious surprise.

Ray ignored her question and continued voicing his upset, "When I got there the bomb was already disarmed. I thought at first that the people who had planted it had a change of heart, but then I listened. It was you. You disarmed the explosive. Where the hell did you learn to do that? _Why_ the hell were you doing that?!" Ray asked, letting his fury leak through. Felicity opened her mouth to respond, but Ray barreled on, not allowing her an opportunity to defend herself. "You were obviously working with the group of people there. I didn't know what to think. Then I saw you leave the warehouse with the Arrow. If I'm honest with myself, I knew it was Oliver right away. The way you looked at each other. And then when you kissed…" Ray trailed off sadly. "You know the suit has high spectrum portable radiograph capabilities. I didn't need to use it. I already knew Oliver was the Arrow, but undeniable scientific proof is always better than none."

Ray watched Felicity's face fall. She knew there was no denying it now. She had obviously been thinking of ways that she could discredit how Ray had decided Oliver was the Arrow, and now she knew she had no ability to do so. "Thanks to your facial recognition software," Ray admitted.

"You stole my software?" Felicity interrupted angrily.

He ignored her chastisement and stepped away from his computer, motioning to Felicity to look at the screen herself. Ray moved far enough away from the monitor to allow Felicity to move in front of the screen and see his results from his surveillance the night before. He had pulled the rendered scan of Oliver's face up on his computer the moment Felicity had walked into his office. He knew he needed ammunition to confront her about her lies.

"How long have you known Oliver was the Arrow?" Ray wearily asked as Felicity continued to face the computer away from him. He was almost afraid of the answers Felicity would give him. That is, assuming she agreed to answer his questions at all.

She turned around to face Ray, "Almost three years," Felicity admitted confidently.

Ray was shocked. "You have been helping him this whole time?"

"Yes," Felicity replied boldly.

"How did you find out?" Ray asked, "Did he mean to tell you or did you figure it out yourself?"

"Ray, I don't think I should…" Felicity drifted off. Ray stared back into her eyes deeply, trying to convey his desperate need to know and his continued struggle to suppress his anger. Felicity sighed in resignation. "I found him bleeding to death in my car. He'd been shot… almost exactly where we're standing, as a matter of fact," she added.

Ray didn't know what he had been expecting to hear, but it certainly wasn't that. His anger flared back to life. She was helping Oliver in the beginning while he was still killing people? Ever since Ray's discovery last night, he had been trying to convince himself that Felicity had only helped the Arrow a couple of times. Ray had been certain she never would have had anything to do with the Arrow when he was killing people. He was sure she had just gotten swept up in something she hadn't expected to happen. Clearly he was wrong.

"At least now I know why you were so hesitant to help me with my mission for the city. You already had your own mission, and a killer to protect," he accused seething.

Felicity erupted, "Oliver is _not_ a killer! You don't know anything about him!"

"He's killed before, Felicity. He's killed many times. Oliver is a murderer," Ray stated fervently.

"He's only killed bad people! And he hasn't killed anyone in nearly two years! He is a different person now. How dare you judge him," she reprimanded.

"Murder is never acceptable, Felicity! He should face justice. He may have stopped killing people now, but that doesn't mean he won't revert to killing whoever pisses him off," Ray said loudly, trying to impress upon Felicity that she was supporting the wrong person. He was irate that not only was she willing to support a murderer's mission for the city over his, but also that she would be with him. She chose Oliver over him to the point where Ray thought she never even entertained the idea of feeling for him romantically. He was a better man than Oliver. Oliver didn't deserve her like he did.

"For your information, the last person he killed was about to kill me. He doesn't just kill people who 'piss him off'. He's saved more lives than you or I will ever know. How could you think so little of him? How could you think I'd help him if he was truly that way?" Felicity's voice shook with anger and repressed angry tears.

Ray shook his head, determined not to be swayed by what she said. He relished in his anger and he was not going to be deterred. "I get the appeal now though. Oliver seemed like a really odd choice for you, but hell, it makes sense now. Going home with the Arrow must be a million times more exciting than going home with some party boy," Ray let all the animosity he felt towards Oliver and the betrayal he felt from Felicity flow free.

Felicity honestly looked like he had slapped her across the face. "That's what you think of me," Felicity stated. It wasn't a question but an accusation. "Well, now I know what kind of man you really are. You're a judgmental, jealous, controlling man, Ray. Yeah, you're a real great guy," Felicity finished sarcastically and dripping with disdain.

Ray could see the unshed tears brimming in Felicity's eyes behind her glasses. Her own fury and devastation was plain to see on her face. She turned on her towering heel and marched out of his office while he stood and watched in silence. He meant every word he said and he refused to feel sorry for speaking his mind. Not only had Felicity been lying to him since they met, but she had chosen a murderer over him. It hurt Ray when he thought Felicity chose some random playboy over him but this stung so much worse. He could offer her so much more than Oliver and yet she chose her so-called "reformed killer" both in helping him in his crusade and in giving him her love. Ray felt thoroughly broken.

 *****A/N:** I really hope I didn't vilify Ray too much in this chapter. Let me know what you think.


	18. Chapter 18

*****A/N:** Thank you all for your words of encouragement about the last chapter. I know Ray's thoughts and actions seemed pretty vitriolic but I was thinking about his level of true disdain for Oliver when he found out Oliver was the Arrow on the show. Ray was even involved with Felicity romantically at the time on the show, which kind of leveled him out, but his hatred of Oliver was still pretty intense. When writing the last chapter, I approached it not only trying to slightly increase Ray's anger because he had discovered Felicity's involvement immediately, but to incorporate his jealousy and resentment at the fact that Felicity had rejected him romantically and chosen Oliver in addition. I hope it didn't come off too strong but there was a lot I tried to consider. The past few days have been incredibly hard for me. I won't go into why, but working on this chapter has both been easier because I've been able to channel my own anger, sorrow, and frustration; yet at the same time it's been harder to set my own feelings aside and focus on writing this. I tried to go back and tone down the angst in this a little bit since I'm sure it was excessive due to my own personal feelings leaking into this at the time, but I'm not sure I succeeded. I hope it worked out.

 _Chapter 18_

 **~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath through her nose then exhaled forcefully. Her anger at how Ray had treated her outweighed her concern about what he would do with what he had uncovered. Felicity had no idea he could be so petty. She had been very unnerved by his initial behavior towards her during his pursuit to get her to agree to work for Palmer Tech. She had been tormented by a stalker before in her life, and Ray's behavior was remarkably similar to Felicity's college stalker. She was absolutely sure if Oliver had known the extent that Ray had been monitoring and harassing her, he would have confronted Ray in a way Ray would not have liked. Felicity was far from a damsel in distress. She could take care of herself, and her relationship with Oliver at the time wasn't exactly great, but she couldn't help but wonder if some of this could have been avoided if Oliver had dealt with Ray's behavior right away. Ray had proven to be controlling and invasive, but she didn't think him capable of assailing her personally. It hurt her more than she'd like that Ray believed she was with Oliver because of some sick thrill-seeking inclination and not because she loved him. She knew Ray's pride had been wounded when she rejected him romantically, but that was a low blow.

She truly understood his reticence about her working with Oliver, Dig, and Roy in their mission to help Starling City. She had had those very feelings herself initially, albeit not quite as strongly as Ray. Yes, Oliver had killed people, but for Ray to suggest that he simply killed people because they angered him was so wrong. Not only was Oliver a different man now but he had only ever killed people that truly deserved it or as a last resort. Stupid, giant Ray won't even get over himself long enough to listen to reason and try to understand Oliver. Felicity knew Ray's own mission was doomed to fail if he couldn't see into the gray areas of life. This black-and-white mindset of his was going to get him, or the people he was naïvely trying to protect, hurt or even killed.

The past twelve hours had been really shitty and the last thing she had needed was Ray Palmer chastising her because of his closed mind and bruised ego.

Felicity chuckled darkly to herself, remembering how this morning all she had wanted was something to distract her from what was going on with Oliver. She had gotten her wish in the worst way possible. The way things had been going, the small bubble of optimism that had blossomed in Felicity again since Oliver's return was shrinking quickly and she feared it would pop, disappearing forever. Last night had proven to her how tenuous the ground they stood on really was.

 _Felicity closed the front door to her apartment as Oliver strode into the entryway behind her. As she secured the deadbolt, her restraint finally broke. "Okay, I can't take it anymore. What's wrong? And don't tell me nothing is because something is clearly bothering you. I didn't think it was possible, but you're even more monosyllabic than usual and you won't look at me!" Felicity exclaimed._

 _Oliver finished hanging up his black pea coat on the coat hooks on the wall near Felicity's front door and slowly turned to face her. She could see the apprehension in his eyes. He clasped his hands behind his back and lowered his eyes briefly to the floor, but remained silent._

 _"Well?" Felicity snapped._

 _Oliver drew in a deep breath to presumably prepare himself. He looked Felicity in the eyes and resignedly admitted, "Maseo came to me at the loft last night. Ra's al Ghul knows I'm alive. We have less than a week before he arrives."_

 _Felicity suddenly found it utterly impossible to breathe. She shook her head back and forth in an attempt to dislodge the denial that flew around her mind wildly. Her eyes went everywhere except to meet Oliver's. "Less than a week," she said just above a whisper. "Less than a week," the denial she felt laced in every word as she repeated them. Her emotional dam broke and she gasped the phrase a third time, "Less than a week?" She stood frozen where she was and let her cry echo in her small apartment. She finally met Oliver's eyes again and she didn't like what she saw in them. Felicity's denial melted away in that instant and her anger set in, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"_

 _"Felicity…" quietly Oliver drifted off._

 _"Why didn't you tell me?" Felicity asked again, not bothering to hide her anxiety or anger._

 _"Because… Because we were about to go diffuse a bomb and I didn't want to worry you," Oliver defended himself. Felicity opened her mouth to respond with an angry retort, but Oliver barreled on, "and because telling you would have made it real." As Felicity considered his words, a pregnant pause hung in the air._

 _"You still should have told me," Felicity chastised Oliver. She felt her anger at him fading as she remained where she was._

 _"I know and I'm sorry. I just wanted to protect you," Oliver apologized with unquestionable sincerity._

 _Felicity let her mouth fall closed. They had so little time. Her mind juggled feelings of fear, anger, sadness, and even self-pity. This was so unfair. Oliver had just gotten back. She had gotten the miracle of having him returned to her alive and whole, and now he was going to be taken away again. Did Oliver even have an actual plan? What would Ra's do if Oliver didn't acquiesce to his offer/demand right away? What were she, Dig, Roy, and Laurel going to do? What were they going to tell Thea? Could Felicity go through Oliver leaving under such dangerous terms again? She felt her body start to shake. The swirl of emotions that continued their onslaught on her brought tears to her eyes._

 _Concern flashed across Oliver's face. He quickly strode to Felicity and wrapped his long arms around her, pressing her small body against his. Felicity laid her cheek against his firm chest and let her tears fall onto his shirt._

 _"We will get through this," Oliver told Felicity. She wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more, her or himself._

 _Felicity and Oliver stayed in each others arms for minutes on end. As she listened to the even beating of Oliver's heart and felt his steady breaths, her dread slowly subsided a small degree. She looked up into his piercing blue gray eyes. She felt some comfort wash over her as Oliver continued to gaze into her eyes deeply. She could feel his love for her all around her. It poured out of his eyes and seeped into her through the warmth of his embrace. She was still terrified about what was coming but whatever happened, she knew they would face it together and she would be stronger for having Oliver at her side._

 _Felicity extricated herself from Oliver's embrace but kept a firm hold on his right hand. She turned and slowly led Oliver into her bedroom. The lighting in her room was dim but neither of them made motions to reach for the light switch. The illumination seemed to reflect their situation. The streetlamp outside provided just enough light for them to see the shapes ahead in Felicity's room, but not enough for them to truly prepare for what they were coming upon. Felicity's familiarity with her bedroom and Oliver's comforting presence made the darkened room feel safe. She wished she could feel the same about the ordeal Ra's al Ghul was putting them through._

 _She and Oliver silently undressed in the dark, both remaining in just their underwear. She had no desire to search her room for the pajamas she normally wore to bed. She ignored inclination towards her routine of evening facial care as well. She wanted nothing more than to lie down and be held by Oliver until the Sun came up. She wanted to stop thinking about the danger and obstacles that lay ahead for all of them and just bask in the love and safety he provided._

 _Felicity slid into her large bed and wrapped the comforter and blankets securely around her mostly bare body. In the darkness, she saw the shape of Oliver's large figure glide into the space next to her and felt the mattress sink under his weight. She scooted her body closer to Oliver and he pulled her into his protective arms. She laid her head against his bare chest and inhaled a cleansing breath. Snuggling closer to his warm body, Felicity gently wrapped her right arm around Oliver's waist and placed her left palm against his chest. They remained in total silence, Oliver stroking her hair and back. Felicity placed a small kiss against Oliver's sternum and she felt him relax. She hadn't noticed how rigid his body had been before. She realized the same fears that plagued her must be tormenting him as well._

 _They laid together in the dark breathing in unison, finding silent reassurance in each others presence. She watched as the light in the room gradually increased as the Sun began to rise. Oliver's breathing eventually slowed and became deeper and she saw he had finally fallen asleep. Comforted by that, Felicity closed her own eyes._

 _Felicity's eyes flew open. Her own strangled cry had thankfully woken her from her brief, but intense, nightmare. In her dream, she and Oliver had been standing in broad daylight outside Palmer Technologies, talking about something she couldn't recall, when a swarm of members of the League of Assassins surrounded them. Felicity cried out for help as the League dragged a struggling Oliver away. She was desperate to follow them and free Oliver, but somehow she knew she could not move. Trying to find help, she looked around and saw that Starling City around her had suddenly turned into a complete wasteland. It was void of any people and was positively demolished to a post-apocalyptic state. As Oliver was dragged further away from her, her frantic cries increased. It was then that Felicity glimpsed Ray standing on a nearby staircase. She called to him and begged him for help. She pleaded with him to do something and he just stood and stared at Felicity with a blank look on his face. It was then that Felicity woke with a start, her heart racing._

 _She gazed at Oliver with tired eyes and saw he was still asleep, but a frown pulled at his mouth and a furrow was etched into forehead. His dreams were clearly no more pleasant than Felicity's had been._

 _Their bodies had pulled apart while they slept but Oliver still kept a firm grip on Felicity's hand even in his sleep. She continued to watch Oliver sleep, not wanting to move from the position she was in, facing him. The Sun had fully risen now but Felicity remained immobile, determined to let Oliver obtain as much rest as he could. She knew sleep would be even rarer for both of them from now on, so Felicity would help Oliver get every bit of rest he could. Her alarm would soon go off, forcing both of them to awaken and face the day. Felicity wanted to put off the trials and worries that would come along with the unfolding day as long as possible._

Felicity blinked, coming out of her reminiscence of the previous night, realizing she had been immobile and staring at her computer for some time. Sliding her glasses off her face, she pinched the bridge of her nose in exhaustion. It was barely noon and yet she felt incredibly drained. She had only been at the office a little over 3 hours but she knew with certainty that her remaining in the office would not do anyone any good. She would spend every second she spent in Palmer Technologies either fuming over Ray's behavior or worrying about the potential disaster that awaited Team Arrow when Ra's al Ghul came for Oliver. At least if she went to the Foundry, she would be able to feel like she was exercising a modicum of control over the situation by helping in whatever way she could. Sitting in her office reviewing reports and plans for upcoming projects helped no one. She would worry about the bottom line when her world wasn't falling apart. For now, she had to do something with meaning and that certainly wasn't in her office.

Felicity rocketed up from her desk. She grabbed her belongings that sat nearby and walked powerfully out her office door. "Greg, I will be working from home for the rest of the day. Please call Karen and cancel the meeting I have with Mr. Palmer this evening. You know how to reach me if there's an emergency," Felicity informed her assistant as she reached his desk.

Greg looked up at her with surprise but remained composed, "Sure thing, Miss Smoak. Would you like me to inform Mr. Palmer that you will be working from home the rest of the day?" he asked.

"No, that will not be necessary. Thank you, Greg," Felicity responded with finality, striding off across the polished dark marble floor towards the bay of elevators. Felicity sighed and firmly pushed the button to summon an elevator. Moments later, she stepped onto the empty elevator that promptly arrived. She knew Ray would be a problem after his discovery, but she decided she would deal with him later. She was still angry with him, but for now, she had much bigger problems than an angry, jealous billionaire to deal with.

 *****A/N:** Sorry for the long chapter. I even had to completely ignore my outline for this. I had initially plotted way too much to be in this chapter. It probably would've ended up being like 10,000 words long if I hadn't altered it. Of course, now I've screwed the rest of my outline (what I have done, that is) since I cut so much content from it. I'm going to have to redo my outline, which will almost certainly delay my next chapter. I'm sorry. I hope this chapter turned out bearable at least, despite all the drama.


	19. Chapter 19

*****A/N:** This wraps up what was initially outlined for the previous chapter. I hope the angst level in chapter 18 wasn't overbearing. But, like I said, it was personal feelings leaking through.

 _Chapter 19_

 **~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity hypnotically drove through the Glades, making her way to Verdant. In the daylight the destruction that had befallen the area twice was even starker. The disrepair made her heart heavy and she wondered why it was allowed to remain this way. Were the comfortable people of Starling so indifferent to the suffering of others? How could they be that selfish? However, she did feel a little better knowing how many people in her own life seemed to want to help the situation. Though it far from appeased her conscience, she could at least console herself with the knowledge that her own actions and the actions of those she loved, were trying to better the situation in the poor areas of Starling City. Even though Ray could certainly be an ass, he had donated huge sums of money to aid the restoration of the Glades. He also had his mission as the A.T.O.M to help the people of the Glades, but Felicity worried that he was doing it for the wrong reasons.

Felicity pulled her car into the parking area they all used at Verdant, locked her car doors, and walked to the front door of the club. The club wouldn't open for seven hours so she didn't see a need to make the longer trek to the secret side entrance of the club that lead to the lair. There would be no patrons and she doubted there would be any employees present who would question her presence. She unlocked the door with her set of keys and entered calmly. She was grateful to be on a course that she was sure would at least somewhat distract her from the events of the past twenty four hours.

Felicity reflected how strange she always thought the club looked in the sunlight. Perhaps it was the fact that she spent so many nights there and was used to it pumping with gyrating bodies and loud music, but seeing Verdant empty during the day always felt somewhat bizarre to her. As Felicity walked into the middle of the room, Roy rounded the corner with a large wooden crate in his arms.

"Hey. What're you doing here? Is something going on?" Roy inquired as he set the heavy crate on the bar.

Felicity shook her head and let out a soft sigh, "Just trying to accomplish something. What are you doing here? It seems pretty early for you to be in to work."

"Yeah, well one of our liquor distributers had to change their delivery time. It's annoying to have to come in so early, but Thea would've had their balls if they had stiffed us," Roy said with a glancing smile upstairs at Thea's private office on the second floor.

"Yeah, that's true," Felicity said, an insincere smile pulled tight across her face. The nagging worry about how they would explain to Thea Oliver's second disappearance came to the forefront of her mind. She felt her brow crinkle under the stress. Oliver leaving again was going to be so hard on Thea. She didn't deserve this any more than the rest of them.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Roy asked with sincere concern in his voice.

Felicity paused trying to decide if she should answer. "Did Oliver tell you?"

"About what?" Roy asked confusedly.

"Maseo came to him the other night. Ra's in on his way. We have less than a week before the League gets here," Felicity inhaled roughly, "I must admit, I'm worried. No, worry isn't strong enough a word. I think panic is a more apt description," Felicity responded honestly.

She saw Roy attempt to reign in his feelings so as to not let them reflect on his face. He utterly failed. He was not a particularly emotive guy, but she could see their shared anxiety in his eyes. Roy stepped away from the bar and moved towards Felicity. He took a deep breath and a look of determination replaced the worry on his face. "We'll be fine. We know they're coming. Oliver has a plan and if something goes wrong, we'll plan for worst case scenario. We have time. Oliver knows what he's doing. He wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think he could succeed," Roy assured Felicity.

"Oh, you mean like the time he thought he could beat Ra's al Ghul in a duel and almost died?" Felicity responded darkly.

Roy's mouth twisted in a slight grimace at Felicity's words. He closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head to himself. After a deep breath and a moment of silence, he replied "This time he has us," with a confident nod. He placed his hand gently on Felicity's shoulder in a gesture of comfort and gave her a small smile. Felicity returned it with a half-hearted smile of her own.

Roy removed his hand from Felicity as they both turned towards the soft footsteps they heard descending the metal staircase near them. Thea's tiny figure moved with enviable grace down the rattling staircase. Felicity watched Roy walk back to the bar to retrieve the crate of alcohol he had placed there, and disappear around the corner after. Alone with Thea, Felicity watched as the petite woman stepped down the last of the stairs and moved toward her.

"Looking for Oliver?" Thea asked cheerfully with a smile plastered on her lovely face.

"Um, yes," Felicity replied. It was mostly true. She wanted to see Oliver immensely but that hadn't been her purpose in coming to Verdant. It wasn't as if she could tell Thea that though without inciting further questions.

"Well, he's not here. You're welcome to hang out for a while though. I could definitely use a break from inventory," Thea replied genuinely.

Felicity smiled in return but declined the offer. It looked like she should have used the side entrance after all. As she turned to exit Verdant, Thea stopped her. "Felicity?" Thea asked cautiously.

Felicity faced Thea once more and replied, "Yeah?" quizzically.

"Listen," Thea began, "Oliver told me that you two have started seeing each other. I know it's none of my business, but I wanted to say something," she said in a voice Felicity was sure was meant to be reassuring.

"Okay," Felicity responded hesitantly. She really hoped this wasn't going to be the if-you-hurt-my-brother-I'll-hunt-you-down speech. Then again, that didn't seem like Thea's style. _It's most certainly Oliver's style though_ , she thought wryly to herself.

"Don't let him push you away," Thea stated, clearly heartfelt. Felicity's surprise at what Thea had said surely registered on her face. That was far from what she expected Thea to say. "I haven't seen Ollie like this in a long time. He's happy and though I don't really know you well, I hope he makes you happy. But my brother… he sabotages things when he gets scared. He'll become his moody, brooding self and shut you out. Don't lose faith in him if… when he does. He'll eventually come around," Thea finished sincerely.

Felicity wasn't sure what to say. She knew all too well Oliver's propensity for alienating himself from people. Whether it was in an effort to protect them or because of his personal fears, varied. It'd been a problem between him and Felicity the very previous night. It had frustrated and saddened her that Oliver had kept Ra's al Ghul's impending arrival from her, but she knew his omission didn't come from a place of malice. He had lied to her in a misguided attempt to spare her worry. She understood his intentions intellectually, but she was still hurt by his lie. They would definitely have to build trust with each other if this was ever going to last between them. Love was not always enough to keep people together. She couldn't be with Oliver if he didn't trust her and lied to her. Still, she knew the truth of Thea's words. She had to have faith in Oliver. She had to have faith that they could support and love each other no matter the circumstances. She had to have faith that he would survive his coming ordeal with the League of Assassins.

"Thanks, Thea. I'll remember that," Felicity assured Thea with a smile.

"How serious is it between you two?" Thea asked, not bothering to hide the hope in her voice.

Pausing, Felicity considered her answer. She and Oliver loved each other; she knew that in her bones. Truth be told, she had been in love with Oliver for a long time. Felicity knew in her heart that their relationship was serious, but would Oliver want her to admit that to his baby sister? Their relationship was new and admitting how at least she felt made her worry that it would have some sort of unknown implication.

Felicity made up her mind and looked directly into Thea's kind grey eyes. "Serious," Felicity answered.

An enormous grin spread across Thea's beautiful face. Felicity shyly returned her smile and then spun on her heel to exit Verdant through the front door. Felicity planned on briefly exiting the club and sneaking around to the secret entrance in the alley to get into the lair from there. Even though entering the club in the front door hadn't been as covert as she had intended, Felicity was glad she had come in that way. If she had avoided her conversations with Roy and Thea, she never would have gained the comfort and perspective they had afforded her. Felicity felt a little lighter after their conversations and it was a huge relief.

She took two steps toward Verdant's front door, only for it to swing open to reveal Oliver. An involuntary smile spread across Felicity's face again. She was beyond happy to see him.

A small smile lifted at the corners of Oliver's mouth as well. He walked towards Felicity and gazed into her eyes. They stood so close side-by-side that Felicity could feel the heat radiating off his skin. His mere presence sent tingles all over the surface of her flesh. "Hi," he greeted Felicity in a deep voice.

"Hi," she replied softly.

Pulling his eyes from Felicity's, he turned to face Thea and greeted her in turn, "Hey, Speedy."

"Hey, Ollie. What are you doing here? Finally here to beg for a job?" Thea teased.

Oliver smiled indulgently and said, "I just got done at the gym around the corner and I figured I'd come say hello."

Thea crooked an eyebrow and glanced at Felicity, but said nothing. Felicity had the sneaking suspicion that Thea full well knew that Oliver's motivation for coming to Verdant had nothing to do with wanting to check up on his sister. She kept her face as neutral as Oliver's so as to not pique Thea's intuition further.

Shrugging, Thea replied with, "Well, hi... I have inventory to finish, but I'll catch up with you later."

"Sounds good," said Oliver. Thea snuck a conspiratorial smile at Felicity and turned and began to ascend the stairs back to her private office. Oliver turned and grabbed Felicity's hands in his warm, rough ones.

Felicity looked up into his clear blue grey eyes for moments on end and felt relief wash over her. "I'm glad you're here," she admitted to Oliver.

"I am too," agreed Oliver.

Remaining hand-in-hand, they made their way over to the stairwell that led to the lair. Oliver punched in the code 1-4-1 and held the door open for Felicity to descend the stairs before him. Felicity slowly began walking down the stairs, feeling Oliver close behind her. Gripping the handrail, she braced herself up with determination, focusing on the events to come. She had Oliver with her and they would be prepared when the worst came. She was going to try to have faith.


	20. Chapter 20

*****A/N:** Sorry this chapter took me so long. I've been struggling since the one year anniversary of my father's death is tomorrow, so writing a fluffy chapter has been really hard. Me'Shell Ndegéocello's album, _Bitter_ , pretty much epitomizes this. "Beautiful" is the track that really encapsulates the lemon. Listen to the song if you haven't heard it before.

 _Chapter 20_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver stepped out of the misty night and followed Felicity into her darkened apartment. He casually shrugged off his coat and hung it up as Felicity flipped the nearby light switch. He could see behind her lovely eyes how drained she was as he watched her from the foyer. The hours they had spent together that day had been exhausting. None of their group knew what to expect for Oliver in Nanda Parbat, but the least they could do was go over scenarios of what could happen in Starling City if they incurred the League of Assassin's wrath. Oliver already knew that he had to accept Ra's al Ghul's offer to be his successor, but the group agreed that acquiescing to Ra's demand immediately would raise suspicion. Oliver had to at least appear hesitant to agree to his terms in order to be believable. Regardless, the team knew potential disaster still remained on the horizon, even with Oliver's impending consent. Would Ra's immediately punish his feigned reticence? Would he do something proactively to have a threat to hang over Oliver's head?

Felicity, Roy, and Diggle had spent the night hypothesizing horrible things that could be done in Starling as potential punishment and what could be done to rectify or prevent it. Each of them now donned hidden tracking devices with panic buttons at all times, in case of capture. Oliver was even arranging devices to be sent to Laurel, Layla, and baby Sara as a precaution. He knew he would have to find a way to discreetly place one on Thea, as she would most definitely be a target for the League. Her risk would increase a hundredfold if anyone in the League discovered she had actually been the one to kill Sara Lance.

Oliver was sure Diggle was telling his wife, Layla, about the situation they were facing almost at this very moment. Layla would undoubtedly inform her A.R.G.U.S superiors in turn, but the entire group agreed that the A.R.G.U.S Director, Amanda Waller, was unlikely to assist them if anything went awry. Waller would certainly leave all of Starling City to die, unless she felt what was occurring constituted a greater threat to the world as a whole. Oliver knew better than anyone that even if she did agree to help them at some point, they probably wouldn't want whatever help she offered to provide.

Over the course of the day as more and more catastrophic scenarios were presented, Felicity had hacked into even more surveillance programs than they had already monitored. She additionally set up all manner of alerts to be sent to the group if anything remotely abnormal was detected in the city. The Interpol, F.B.I, A.R.G.U.S, and S.C.P.D's criminal databases had all been compromised to provide an extensive array of persons of interest to use when scanning the surveillance systems they had infiltrated. Cellular, radio broadcast, and radio receptor tower signals had all been boosted and diverted to be intercepted and filtered by their newly upgraded equipment to detect oncoming threats from the airwaves. Felicity even commandeered an A.R.G.U.S spy satellite. She had truly outdone herself. Felicity's genius and hard work more than anyone else had helped prepare them for the looming threat of Ra's al Ghul and the League. Oliver knew what she had accomplished that day could mean the difference between life and death for so many people. He was beyond proud.

Felicity let out a soft sigh and rolled her shoulders back and forth in what was an obvious attempt to relieve tension. She still radiated stress despite all the progressive steps they had made today. Oliver wanted to reassure her but he had no idea how. He opened his mouth, ready to ask Felicity what she was thinking, but was promptly interrupted by her.

"No. Don't start. We've talked enough. Between work and our doomsday prep session, I'm done talking for the rest of my life after today. I know that probably sounds insane coming from me but it's true. Well, no it's not true, but you know what I mean," Felicity babbled.

Oliver felt a small smile cross his face as Felicity finished. He enjoyed her outbursts so much sometimes. He took a few impossibly long steps to Felicity and wrapped his arms around her small frame. He was always surprised by the profound sense of relief he felt whenever he held her. Felicity smiled up at him but shifted out of his embrace far sooner than Oliver would have liked. To his relief, she tenderly gripped his hand and pulled him toward the bedroom without another word.

Felicity released Oliver as she walked into her dim room ahead of him. He watched her from the back as she carefully stepped out of her towering heels. Her pale hair and skin shone in the darkness. Oliver mused how Felicity shone in every capacity wherever she went and whatever she did. Her beautiful soul radiated about her, attracting others just as much as her physical appeal did. He knew he was truly a lucky man. She was far better than he deserved.

He walked forward and brought Felicity to him, pressing his front flush against her back. He felt her relax against him in response. Oliver let his fingers lightly trace the front of Felicity's hips through the silky material of her dress. She reached up and loosened her hair from its elastic band, allowing her blonde hair to cascade down her shoulders. He swept her hair from the left side her neck and kissed her neck deeply, eliciting a soft sigh from her.

Pulling his body away from hers, Oliver moved to unzip Felicity's dress. He allowed his fingers to trail down the skin on her spine as he pulled the zipper further down, revealing more of her unclothed body. He could see Felicity shiver with pleasure in the darkness. When he had finished unzipping her dress, he gently pushed it off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor in a pool around her feet.

Still facing Felicity from behind, Oliver could see she was naked except for a black lace thong. Her curvaceous rear was on full view for him to see in his current position and his dick twitched at the sight. A flurry of desire coursed through him. Oliver wanted to grab her and lose himself in her, but he also wanted to take this slow. He wanted both of them to find the comfort they sought in each other in that moment. He wanted Felicity to feel his love and pride in her. He wanted to cherish her.

After a momentary pause, Felicity turned to face Oliver. Her skin was flushed and her breathing accelerated. She moved toward him and lifted his shirt to help guide him in removing it. Before Oliver had even completely removed his dark blue shirt from over his head, he felt Felicity's fingers go to work on undoing his belt. His pants were already becoming uncomfortable as his arousal grew. Oliver kicked off his boots and socks as Felicity's confident fingers continued working on unfastening the strained button and zipper to his pants. She reached inside his underwear pushed down his dark khakis and boxer briefs in one motion. As she did so, he felt her small hands graze against his ass. He was becoming more aroused with every passing moment. His heart was now pounding in his chest. He wanted every inch of his skin against Felicity's. He wanted to touch and kiss every part of her he could reach.

Reaching down, he pulled his pants and underwear off in one swift motion in haste. He could feel he was nearly up to his full height now and his need for her was growing swiftly. He observed the carnal appreciation in Felicity's eyes as she looked at his own naked and visibly ready body.

Oliver pulled Felicity smoothly against him and fisted his hands in her hair and at the small of her back. He kissed her ardently, pouring all his love and the desire he felt for her into it. He felt her breasts pressed firmly against him as his erection pressed against her in return. Their heads rolled back and forth as Felicity deepened their already passionate kiss. Their kiss seemed to extend on and on forever as their hands gradually explored each others bodies. Oliver could feel her breath hot against his face as he began to walk Felicity backward to her bed.

Oliver stopped when he felt Felicity's knees hit the edge of her bed. She fell backward onto the large mattress with a smile. Oliver gazed at her from where he stood at the end of the bed. He watched enraptured as she seductively pulled her body towards the head of the bed, her eyes boring into his. Felicity lifted her hips, allowing Oliver to gingerly slide her delicate underwear down her slender but muscular legs. After discarding Felicity's underwear on the floor at his feet, he pushed her legs open wide. Felicity remained prostrate on the bed before him, the desire plain on her face to see. Oliver bent down and without hesitation or built anticipation; kissed Felicity at the apex of her thighs.

He felt her shudder beneath his mouth. Her arousal was immediately apparent on his tongue the moment he reached her center. His tongue swirled around her clitoris repeatedly, drawing elongated groans of pleasure from her. It wasn't long before Oliver could feel Felicity's legs start to tremble around his face. He had only been at his ministrations mere minutes, yet he could tell Felicity was already close to her orgasm. It was obvious she needed the release and reassurance of them making love just as much as Oliver did. Oliver slid two fingers inside her and massaged her inner walls as he continued his assault on her bundle of nerves with his tongue. Oliver thrust his fingers slowly into her just three times before she cried out, her back bowing away from the bed underneath her. He felt her insides clamp around his fingers as her hips swayed to meet his hand to ride out her orgasm.

When Oliver felt Felicity's body still, he removed his mouth from her sex and stood up from where he had been leaning down. He looked down at Felicity and saw her staring back at him, her chest heaving up and down with her panting breaths as her hair and arms were splayed out around her. God she was beautiful. Oliver slowly glided his body up parallel with hers, kissing and licking her skin with his ascent. He paused at her breasts and kissed them slowly before taking each of her nipples his mouth and sucking hard.

Felicity's squirmed beneath him as her hands trailed over the scars on his chest and shoulders. With other women, that action had bothered Oliver. It had felt like cataloguing, pity, or even slight revulsion. But Oliver felt nothing but love radiate from Felicity's actions, so it only increased the pleasure already surrounding him. Felicity grabbed Oliver's face in her small hands and pulled him up to adoringly kiss him. She released his face quickly, planting her left hand on the back of his neck and trailing her right hand down his abdomen and into the hair above his erection.

Oliver groaned against Felicity's mouth and flexed his hips into her small hand and she gripped him firmly. He knew neither of them could wait much longer. Felicity slowly and gently moved her hand up and down his length and whispered breathily, "Condoms are in the top nightstand drawer," against Oliver's urgent mouth.

Oliver reached over to the nearby nightstand and quickly forced the top drawer open, blindly reaching in and grabbing a foil packet. As he leaned over to the dresser to retrieve the condom, Felicity softly bit his ear as it and his stubble grazed her face. That action elicited a deep moan from Oliver and his dick twitched in Felicity's hand again.

"You are going to unman me," Oliver teasingly chastised. Felicity smiled in response and placed her small palms flat against Oliver's chest and pushed. He could tell her movements were meant to indicate to him that she wanted him to shift off of her and lie on the bed. Oliver acquiesced to her unspoken desire.

He rolled to lay on his back, flat against the bed next to Felicity. She quickly shifted her small body and straddled his muscular thighs. The desire that had been smoldering under Oliver's surface up to that moment fanned into a blaze. His breathing accelerated quickly as his heart impossibly began to race even faster. Oliver was a little surprised when Felicity practically ripped the condom from his hand and tore it open with nimble fingers. The excitement and need Oliver felt was being reflected back in Felicity.

Oliver's breath hitched in his chest as she rolled the condom onto his length. He braced himself with anticipation as he watched Felicity shift her slight frame forward. She gripped his erection and raised herself up above him, lining her own sex up with his. She slowly lowered herself down onto Oliver's substantial arousal and they both let out loud moans of pleasure at the contact. Oliver could feel Felicity's walls stretch around him. Oliver's eyes rolled back in his head with pleasure as he felt himself fill her to the hilt when they completed their merge.

Then there was stillness. Oliver looked up into Felicity's beautiful face from where he lay below her. What he saw there escaped adequate definition. He saw lust, passion, love, adoration, and something else he couldn't identify flowing from Felicity. She bent down and kissed Oliver in a way that made him feel the love she felt for him melt down to his very soul. The kiss was languid and brief, but it was a religious experience for Oliver.

"I love you, Oliver Queen," Felicity said ardently.

"And I love you, Felicity Smoak," Oliver replied with every ounce of sincerity within him.

Felicity placed her palms on Oliver's chest, one over his Bratva tattoo and one on the fibrous scar Yao Fei had given him. Felicity began to lift herself up and down on Oliver's length. Their pace was slow at first, almost casual, but started to build quickly. Oliver let his fingers glide up and down Felicity's thighs as she continued her movements. He was utterly transfixed by her. Her eyes were closed and her pouting mouth open as the absorbed all of him. He watched with awe as her golden hair cascaded around her bouncing breasts. Oliver gripped her thighs more firmly, just watching her body slowly bounce before him. She was lost in pleasure and it was driving him wild.

Oliver reached up and palmed both Felicity's breasts, kneading them as they bounced in his hands. Felicity threw her head back and bit her substantial bottom lip. He could feel her nipples pert against his palms. He rolled her nipples gently between his fingers as Felicity increased her pace. She rotated her hips and came down onto Oliver's length again harder, this time hitting her g-spot. The mewling cry she made at the contact sent Oliver spiraling. He would not last much longer. His pleasure was coiling deep inside him and he knew he was close to his own release.

Oliver gripped onto Felicity's hips and started to guide her, speeding up their pace even further. She lowered herself onto him and Oliver flexed his hips, propelling his erection into her and reaching her g-spot again. Felicity moaned and let her head fall backward. Oliver continued to guide her and meet her stroke for stroke, pounding into her g-spot. He could feel her fingernails scratching against his chest as she used him for purchase.

Their movements were almost frantic now, but were still gentle at the same time. Oliver grunted with every thrust and Felicity moaned as her breasts bounced even more wildly. Oliver started to feel Felicity's insides tremble around him again. Oliver thrust into her sharply and rotated his hips. With that, he watched Felicity come spectacularly above him. Her muscles clamped onto his erection fiercely as she let out a long, low moan of satisfaction. Oliver thrust into her once more and dove into his own intense release. The pleasure fell thick and fast around him as he felt his dick twitch repeatedly as he spilled himself into the waiting condom.

Felicity collapsed down onto Oliver's chest in exhausted contentment. Oliver wrapped his arms around Felicity's back to hold her close to him. They both stayed there motionless, making no attempt to break their contact. They were both obviously satiated and blissful to be basking in the afterglow of their love.

If Oliver knew anything about what was to come, it was that Felicity would be at his side and that's all that mattered to him. They had made their "doomsday preparations" as Felicity had called it, and now Oliver was determined that they would live. He and Felicity would shunt the threat of the League aside and just be. Ra's al Ghul be damned.

 ***** A/N:** I will be visiting my mother for the one year anniversary of my father's death for a while starting today, so I won't be able to update for a little while. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. There are a couple more fluffy ones to come before we get into the bulk of the plot.


	21. Chapter 21

*****A/N:** I'm so sorry this took so long. I've been really sick. I'm really disappointed in season 5. Not only did I call Susan Williams' Bratva revelation, but I guessed who Prometheus is as well. Both of them were absurdly predictable.

 _Chapter 21_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver watched Felicity spoon a small bite of egg into her mouth and smile with contentment. "You are a damn fine cook, Mr. Queen. Where'd you even learn to cook?" Felicity inquired.

Oliver smiled and indulged her innocent inquiry, "On Lian Yu, food was frequently scarce and when it was there it was far from enticing. It pretty much came down to cooked or raw." Oliver saw Felicity's obvious intrigue and decided to continue, "Plus, when you don't really speak a language, cooking shows are pretty much the only things that can be universally understood."

Felicity gave Oliver an amused smile and replied, "Somehow I have a hard time picturing you sitting down and watching TV."

"I do more than just work out and shoot arrows into criminals," he smirked back.

"I like the working out. The salmon ladder is definitely my favorite part of your exercise regimen." Her reply elicited a small chuckle from Oliver.

After a pause to eat her remaining eggs, Felicity continued, "Seeing as my mother could barely boil water, it's hardly surprising I never learned to cook. Maybe I should try watching some cooking shows. Have you thought about how weird competitive eating shows are though? It's literally cheering for someone to eat. What do you say? 'Good job chewing. You're a natural chewer! You're a great swallower. I've never seen anyone swallow as well as you!'" Felicity stared at Oliver, her eyes wide. She set down her spoon and scrunched up her face in embarrassment.

"Oh my god. That came out so wrong," Felicity groaned.

Oliver didn't bother to hide the involuntary smile that had spread across his face. "You know, you are utterly amusing sometimes," Oliver teased.

Felicity snapped her mouth closed in an obvious attempt to hold back a retort. After a beat, she diverted, "Okay, I have to finish getting ready. I really don't think PT would approve of me coming in in just this," she said gesturing to her satin camisole and shorts set. The shirt was pleasantly tight and a little sheer.

Oliver drank in her body, "Oh, I'm sure many people would love to see you in that. I certainly enjoy it," he said with a smirk and raised eyebrow, making his meaning clear.

Felicity blushed and looked back at Oliver with admiring blue eyes. "Look who's talking. I even know a few guys that would love to see you like you are right now," Felicity said in response to Oliver who sat next to her in only his boxers.

Oliver smirked but he full well knew the effect he had on other people. It was a little awkward at times but he had lived most of his life glorying in the preferential treatment that came from not only being a Queen, but a good-looking Queen. He knew from experience that women will frequently fawn all over a man who is rich or handsome, but combine the two and more often than not, Oliver found that the women he associated with let all their convictions go out the window when it came to him. He spent his college years neck-deep in a debauchery that came to him with unbelievable ease. Despite being attached to Laurel, he breezed through women like no one else. It took him being marooned on Lian Yu to discover how little that pleased him. He saw how hollow and alone his previous lifestyle had in fact left him feeling and he didn't want that anymore. He wanted to love and be loved. As much as he wanted to protect her, Oliver didn't think he could live without Felicity now. In fact, he didn't want to even try.

"What are your plans tonight?" Oliver asked Felicity.

"Nothing after work. Why?" Felicity responded with curiosity in her voice.

"I was wondering if I could to take you to dinner," Oliver answered.

"Like on a date?" Felicity asked nervously.

Oliver was surprised that Felicity seemed nervous but replied, "Yes," optimistically.

A slow smile crept onto Felicity's beautiful face. "Meet you at 8? Wait. Where should I meet you?" she asked.

"I'll text you later while you're at work," Oliver responded.

"Speaking of work, not to kill the mood or anything, but there's something I should tell you. It's not like I've been avoiding telling you or anything, but there hasn't really been an ideal time until now," Felicity rambled anxiously. Oliver silently encouraged her to continue. It appeared to him that Felicity was holding her breath and he was sure that didn't bode well. The silence stretched on and just when Oliver was about to ask Felicity to speak, she blurted, "Ray knows you're the Arrow," in a single rush of breath.

"What?" he responded, his resulting anger close to the surface.

"Apparently he got his suit working and he was at the scene when we were diffusing Shrapnel's bomb in the Glades. The suit's technology was able to render what the Arrow looked like under the mask and well…" Felicity drifted off. This was bad but Oliver didn't know why Felicity looked guilty.

"Does he know about the others? Do you think he is a threat?" Oliver asked tenuously holding onto his calm.

"He didn't mention the others. I don't think he'd out you but then again, I don't seem to know him very well." The crease between Felicity's eyes gave away her true distress at the situation. She was trying to project certainty and ease but her body was giving her away.

"What do you mean you don't know him very well?" Oliver inquired.

"Let's just say he was… unkind about my involvement," Felicity admitted. Oliver felt his muscles tense. Whatever Palmer had said had upset Felicity and Oliver could beat Ray bloody just for that. "Don't worry about it, Oliver. I don't think he'll tell anyone. He'd have to out himself as well in order to do that and I know he doesn't want to," she attempted to reassure him.

Oliver exhaled in an attempt to steady himself and nodded an affirmative to Felicity. He'd have words with Ray Palmer at some point to assess Ray's risk himself but in the meantime, he'd trust Felicity's assessment.

 **~`*`~ Felicity ~`*`~**

Felicity's day at Palmer tech was going atypically smoothly. Either that or the little sphere of happiness that surrounded her made the small issues that normally affected her job less noticeable. Sitting at her desk, Felicity stole a glance away from her computer screen and to the closet on the back wall of her office. In it was hidden the dress and a few additional items of makeup and jewelry she'd change into before heading to her date with Oliver tonight. She had no idea why she was nervous at the prospect of going on a date with Oliver. She and Oliver were about as close as two people could be. He knew practically everything about her and while she knew that she most definitely didn't know everything about him, Felicity was sure that she knew Oliver perhaps better than anyone else on the planet.

She wondered if maybe that was the problem. She and Oliver had already been through so much. _You've got a lot more coming_ Felicity thought wryly. She grimaced to herself at the turn her thoughts had taken. She braced herself up in her chair and muttered, "No, you're not starting somewhere fresh but tonight'll be great because things are already great. There is no reason to be nervous," to herself with a nod.

"What are you nervous about?" came a familiar voice from her office doorway. Felicity's spirits fell slightly when she looked up from her computer monitor to see Ray standing at the entrance to her office. He at least had the good graces to cautiously stay in the doorway with the door open. After their last confrontation, Ray barging into her office unannounced in his usual way would have been unacceptable.

"What do you want, Ray? Or should I call you Mr. Palmer?" Felicity said snidely. She was pleased to see the chagrin on Ray's face in response to her comment. It was clear he felt some shame about his behavior yesterday at the very least.

"Listen, Felicity. I'm sorry," Ray said as he stepped into her office, closing the door behind him. "I mean, I shouldn't have said those things about you. I hadn't calculated how my own personal feelings could be affecting how I saw the situation," he finished sincerely.

It didn't escape Felicity's notice that he had left things vague and completely ignored Oliver, but his apology was genuine. "Thank you. You are wrong though, Ray. About me. About Oliver. Oliver is a good man. He'll prove it to you someday," Felicity stated confidently.

"He's still dangerous, Felicity. Be careful," Ray said warily. She could tell his comment wasn't coming from a place of anger anymore, merely concern, and that she could handle.

"Ray, you're not going to tell anyone, are you?" Felicity asked.

"No, I would never do that to you. But…" Ray hesitated. His face was solemn, giving Felicity no hint at what was going on behind his halted statement.

"But what?" Felicity wanted to approach this cautiously. She wondered if he about to hand out some ultimatum.

After a long pause, he finished, "I'll be watching. Don't let him screw up," flatly, turning on his heel and pushing his way out her office door.

Felicity didn't know for sure if Ray had meant his statement as a threat but it certainly came off that way. She was glad that was over. Final comment aside, she thought his apology and promise of discretion was pretty reassuring. Maybe Ray would get over his preconceived notions and they'd be able to work together both at Palmer Tech and to help Starling City. Team Arrow could certainly use all the help they could get.

Felicity turned back to her keyboard and ferociously began typing. She had tackled Ray and was anxious to finish out the rest of her work for the day. She was spending tonight with Oliver. She was going on a date with a man she loved. With that thought, Felicity smiled and plowed ahead with her duties in a cloud of cheerfulness.

 *****A/N:** Felicity's accidental innuendo "swallow dialogue" at breakfast is autobiographical. I literally said that in front of children! I have as big of an unintended-double entendre problem as she does. Season 5, episode 12- 'Bratva' made me nostalgic for the glory days of season 2. I might write a story about one of my other theories because, let's face it, the show chose the most obvious person to be Prometheus and most boring way to confirm Susan's suspicions about Oliver and the Bratva. I think some of my ideas were much more interesting, as some of you agreed. I think the whole Pandora-hacker-cache-thing might be a trap for Felicity.


	22. Chapter 22

_Chapter 22_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver felt the wind whip all around him as he sped through the Glades on his motorcycle. Dusk had fallen and the weather was chilly. He confidently weaved through the relatively bare familiar streets. These streets were always blessed with little foot or vehicle traffic. This area's renown as being particularly crime-ridden, even for the Glades, made most people steer clear of it unless absolutely necessary. Of course, this had its advantages, like now, as he was running late for his date with Felicity. His rotten luck had known no limits.

 _Oliver pulled his Ducati to a stop at the stoplight behind a large black truck. If he hurried from here on out, he'd actually be on time for once. Perpendicular to his left side was a dim alley. Oliver could see two men standing close to each other near the mouth of the alley. One was enormously muscular and unusually well-kept for the area they were in, while the other was almost startlingly thin in ill-fitting, threadbare clothing. They were speaking in low tones so Oliver couldn't hear them thanks to the roar of the engine in the truck in front of him. Even so, he could tell that their reason for being there was far from above board. The stoplight changed and the truck ahead of Oliver barreled forward with a bellow because of its removed muffler._ Douchebag, _Oliver thought._

 _As he was about to pursue the obnoxious truck, Oliver glanced the burlier man in the alley slide a package into the waiting hand of the shabby man next to him. Even through the darkness outside and the tint of the visor on his helmet, the contents of the packet was unmistakable to Oliver. Vertigo._

 _Oliver had killed the Count over a year ago. Oliver knew Werner Zytle had taken up the mantle of "The Count" and assumed distribution and reformulation of the Count and subsequently Dr. Webb's Vertigo, but he hadn't seen much of the drug on the street until now._

 _He couldn't believe this was happening again. The last time Oliver had had a break in dealing with Zytle was oddly enough during Oliver and Felicity's first attempt at a first date. Oliver had apprehended thugs connected to Vertigo distribution earlier that evening and upon the start of removing his Arrow gear to go in to his date with Felicity, he discovered a tracking device lodged on his suit. Guessing correctly that his location had been compromised in an attempt to kill him, Oliver abandoned the tracking dot in the darkened lot he was in and flew away from the populated area. It wasn't long until a van full of armed men caught up to the fleeing Oliver. Hearing over coms what was happening, Dig and Roy met up with Oliver and subdued most of Oliver's pursuers. Unfortunately, by the time his attackers were dealt with, his night with Felicity had effectively been ruined. The attack had lead Oliver to again question the wisdom of dating Felicity. Not only because it seemed to be causing him to lose focus, but also because it put her at greater risk. And with that, Oliver had once again talked himself out of giving it a shot with Felicity. Their relationship had ended before they had even gone on a date._

 _But that was then. Oliver wouldn't let that happen again. He knew better now. Oliver didn't care if the universe was trying to send him some sort of sign with this sudden reemergence of Vertigo. He didn't believe in that shit. He was never giving Felicity up again. Universe be damned._

 _"Shit," Oliver groaned in a nearly inaudible whisper. He was going to be on time for once! He could be on time if he ignored the drug deal going on in front of him. He sighed and turned left. Oliver knew he couldn't ignore what was happening. Not only would he never forgive himself if he found out this person who needed help was hurt by the drugs, but this was a chance to get a lead on Zytle's location from the dealer. He had to try._

 _Oliver lamented not having his Arrow gear on him, but his helmet would be enough identity concealment and he didn't need a bow and arrows to protect himself. Turning off his bike in a nearby alley, Oliver crept toward the alley where the two men stood huddled together._

 _"Don't you fucking try to short me, asshole! I said two hundred! Do you think I can't count?" the dealer said in a hostile whisper._

 _"Here, here, take this too," replied the small buyer shakily. Oliver peered his head around the mouth of the alley and saw the trembling emaciated man attempt to shove a gold chain into the hand of the man that had him gripped firmly by the lapels of his coat._

 _The dealer looked down from his captive's face to the chain he held, not bothering to release him. "What the fuck do I want with some fake ass jewelry? Give me the money or I'll beat your ass senseless," the burly dealer threatened._

 _"No, no, it's not fake. It belonged to my mother. It's real gold, I swear!" the addict defended, his voice small._

 _The dealer pulled a hand away from his would-be buyer's jacket and reached back his arm, his hand in a ready fist. The tiny addict crumpled to the ground at the fierce blow the large man dealt to his jaw. After ripping the necklace from the cowering man's hand, the dealer shoved his hand into the addict's jacket pocket and extricated the bag of pills he had sold him. As the towering pulled back his leg to obviously render a kick to the downed man's abdomen, Oliver propelled himself forward into the alley._

 _Before the dealer could even fully turn to face Oliver, Oliver dealt a powerful punch to the man's jaw and a swift elbow down onto his left collar. Oliver heard a loud snap as his right elbow made contact with the burly man's collar bone and was greeted by a satisfying shriek from the man in response. Oliver had obviously broken the man's clavicle and Oliver felt no guilt about that._

 _Oliver pinned the dealer against the rough red brick alley wall with his left hand and called back to the thin man watching the two of them with terror from the ground, "Get out of here." The small man scrambled to his feet and ran from the alley. The dealer struggled against Oliver's weight, but his attempts to free himself were feeble thanks to the pain of the broken collar that was rendering his left arm immobile._

 _"Ge'off me! Let me go," the struggling man demanded weakly._

 _"Who supplies your Vertigo?" Oliver growled through his helmet._

 _"Eat shit," the dealer spat in reply._

 _Oliver could tell his captive was putting on a show of bravery. The guy's eyes were swimming with tears. The criminal's ego obviously dictated that his image of strength must be upheld at all times. Oliver would melt that façade away. Making his intention clear, Oliver mockingly slowly showed the bully his gloved index finger, then lowered it towards the man's shattered collar bone. Oliver saw the man's pupils shrink in his fearful brown eyes as he attempted to pull his body away from Oliver's restraint. "No, don't!" he begged._

 _Oliver brought his finger down and applied just the slightest pressure on the snapped bone. The dealer screamed as if he'd been branded with a hot iron in response._ Definitely not a hardened criminal _, Oliver thought to himself. "Who is your supplier?" Oliver demanded again._

 _"I... I have no supplier! I stole it from guy at the gym, okay. I mean, he owed me money for the T I got him. Come on, payback is payback! He owed me," the hefty man sputtered through sobs._

 _It was obvious to Oliver that the man in front of him was telling the truth. Hardened criminal he was not, but this asshole had still beat and robbed a person who needed help. "I see you again, I'll make you wish I'd only broken your other collar bone," Oliver threatened as he released the would-be dealer from his control._

 _As if to prove to Oliver- or himself- that he was still a badass, as soon as Oliver turned to make his way out of the alley, the large man swung wildly at Oliver's head. It seemed the man's wounded ego and rage had made him ignore the fact that Oliver was wearing a motorcycle helmet. Oliver didn't bother moving, instead letting the man's uncontrolled blow land on his helmet. Oliver's body didn't move so much as an inch when the man's fist made contact with his helmet. Oliver heard the idiot's regretful yell at the pain the attempted strike had caused his hand. Oliver spun and smashed his protected forehead against the thug's vulnerable one and was pleased when the man collapsed unconscious to the ground._

 _Oliver worried that this guy's roid rage was going to cause him to kill someone someday. Reaching into the inner pocket of the sprawled man's jacket, Oliver pulled out the bag of Vertigo, a vial of some clear liquid, and the man's wallet. After making note of the information on the man's ID, Oliver smashed both the pills and the vial under his loafer and tossed dealer's wallet back on his chest. He'd keep an eye on him._

Oliver was still annoyed that the drug buy he had stopped hadn't lead to anything helpful to stop Zytle, but he soothed himself with the knowledge that the roided out asshole who would have beaten a defenseless man bloody now had a broken collar bone and would find it hard to attempt to assault to anyone else for a while.

Oliver continued to race through the dusk until he reached the small parking lot of his destination. Oliver spied Felicity's car nearby and he felt guilty knowing she was already in the restaurant and waiting for him. He hoped she had not been there for long. Hastily stowing his helmet, riding jacket, and gloves in the back compartment of his bike, he pulled out his suit jacket and smoothed it on. Oliver took a moment to take inventory of his appearance to assure there wasn't blood on his clothes. Seeing he was clear, Oliver jogged to the small restaurant's entrance.

Oliver hadn't been to Le Rendezvous since before his fateful trip on the Queen's Gambit and he was hoping his reservation would please Felicity. Oliver stepped into the sea of dark wood, candlelight, and white linen that was the restaurant and gave his name to the hostess. The woman blinked several times and steered Oliver to the intimate table where Felicity was waiting for him.

Felicity was simply breathtaking. A smile grew wider on her face as Oliver approached. The soft lighting and dark wood seemed to make her shine in the room around her. Her golden hair fell in soft ringlets around her. She had abandoned her glasses and her makeup was simple but attractive with a bright fuchsia lip. Everything complemented the close-fitting coral dress that hugged her body. The dress' neckline scooped low, revealing the tops of her breasts. Oliver knew he did not deserve the intelligent, compassionate, strong goddess in front of him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. His heartbeat beat fast in anticipation and he found himself thinking about the cliché of having butterflies in his stomach.

Felicity rose to her feet when Oliver reached her at the table. Oliver placed a chaste kiss on her cheek and whispered, "You look beautiful," in her ear earnestly. He was pleased when Felicity shivered in response. He could see the blush that had crept over her face linger on her skin as they both took their seats across from each other.

"Your waiter, Eric, will be right with you. In the meantime, feel free to peruse our wine list. Eric can answer any questions you might have. Welcome to Le Rendezvous," finished the hostess.

"Thank you," Oliver said, freeing the woman to go.

"Hi," Felicity said quietly.

"Hi," Oliver responded with a small smile. "I'm sorry I was late."

"It's fine. Compared to your regular Oliver Queen lateness, you were really on time," Felicity teased.

"Am I really that bad?" Oliver asked in mock concern.

"Let me say this, when I was your assistant, I never once gave you an appointment time that wasn't adjusted by at least half an hour. I knocked it up to an hour if something was really important," Felicity admitted with a smirk.

"I'll have to work on that," Oliver mused.

"I think your second job takes precedence," she replied.

Their waiter chose that moment to arrive and inquire as to their drink orders. Oliver noticed that Eric's eyes lingered on Felicity more than he'd like. He could hardly blame the man. Felicity was glorious, but a jealousy Oliver rarely felt was rearing its head.

"What would you like to drink?" Oliver asked Felicity.

"Nothing. I may have been nervous for tonight and took a benzo. More than one, actually," she admitted under her breath. Their waiter blinked in surprise at Felicity's admission, but remained professional.

"Bourbon. Neat," Oliver dismissed. Their waiter retreated to the bar, allowing Felicity and Oliver to glance at their menus.

Oliver was oddly relieved to hear that Felicity was nervous too. "I'm glad to hear I'm not the only nervous one, at least. I mean, what reason do we have to be nervous?" Oliver asked.

Felicity gave a small chuckle and replied, "I really don't know. It's not as if this is the first time we're meeting or anything."

"True," he agreed. "I still remember the first time we met."

"Oh, god that was embarrassing. I was all… me. I think I was even chewing on a pen," Felicity responded.

"It was red," Oliver said, looking deep into her eyes.

A small smile crept to her face. "You know, your excuses for coming down to my office were really pathetic."

"And yet you helped me," Oliver said with repressed awe.

"I had a feeling I could trust you," she replied sincerely.

"You can. Always," Oliver responded earnestly.

Felicity smiled in reply and looked down to her menu. It took everything Oliver had to examine his own. He could easily spend the entire rest of the evening just staring at Felicity. Contentment spread through his chest. This was a good beginning.

 *****A/N:** I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing with the whole semi-memory-within-a-flashback-thing.


	23. Chapter 23

*****A/N:** This is the last fluffy chapter before the plot thickens. I hope the last chapter made it clear that this is Oliver and Felicity's first date. In the show, their first date in S3:E1 that was literally exploded didn't happen in this story's timeline.

 _Chapter 23_

 **~`*`~ Felicity ~`*`~**

Felicity could think of no other word to describe her and Oliver's date so far other than "incandescent". Despite the crowded restaurant, their atypically free-flowing conversation was never interrupted. Even with the many buzzing bodies of other weekend-ready patrons, she and Oliver's table never ceased to seem intimate. It was exactly like the fantasies she had entertained since Oliver had first genuinely admitted he loved her. Her mood soured momentarily when she remembered how her mind had twisted those desires into nightmares when she had mistakenly believed Oliver dead, but it quickly rectified itself.

Oliver was never particularly loquacious- especially about his time away from Starling City- but as the dinner progressed, he gave more and more small glimpses into the things he had learned and enjoyed while away. She could see something guarded behind his eyes when he spoke of Tatsu, Maseo, and Akio and their lives together in Hong Kong. Felicity didn't intend to pressure Oliver into revealing something he wasn't ready to disclose, but she was genuinely curious about his time in Asia. Oliver somewhat reluctantly confided the tragic circumstances of Akio's death and the aftermath of it to her. Felicity's heart swelled, as she knew Oliver well enough to know how burdened he would feel by the boy's unfortunate death. The knowledge he provided also gave a glimpse into Maseo's motivation and the bond between the two men that Felicity hoped with all her heart was still strong enough to see them through the coming trials ahead.

Felicity talked about work at Palmer Tech and the strides forward they were making in innovative fields. She felt pride at what she was accomplishing there and she could tell Oliver felt the same about her. She briefly touched on the fact that Ray had apologized for his treatment of her over his discovery about Oliver being the Arrow, but she refused to go into detail as she didn't want to spoil a single moment of their night with drama caused by Ray Palmer. Felicity noticed Oliver's eyes narrow in irritation at just the mention of Ray's name. She was sure it would be a long time before Oliver and Ray's relationship would be cordial again. That was if it was even able to become that way again at all.

As their food vanished from their plates, Felicity wondered why either of them had been nervous about this date at all. Felicity had only embarrassed herself once when she realized she had been blabbering for an extensive period of time describing in intricate detail a piece of technology they were developing at Palmer Technologies. Sometimes she couldn't turn the excited nerd part of her brain off. It wasn't until she saw the glazed-over look in Oliver's eyes that she snapped back to reality and realized that he had been patiently listen to her ramble about something that might as well have been in a foreign language to him. A foreign language he didn't speak, that is.

After declining an offer of dessert from their server, Eric, Felicity excused herself to the restroom. The relatively intimate size of the restaurant made it have the annoying quality of only having a single restroom. This was undoubtedly fine on an ordinary night, but it being a busy Friday night, as well as women taking significantly longer in restrooms than men, found Felicity standing in a queue of women waiting for their own turn in the bathroom. She considered giving up and returning to the table with Oliver, but her drive home wasn't exactly short and she thought better than to risk it.

Gazing at some sort of fresco painting of a lounging woman on the wall across from her, Felicity lost herself in thought as she waited. Moments later, two garishly dressed women close to Felicity's own age rounded the corner to join the line behind her.

"I'm just saying, he was alone," said the tall brunette. The woman's face could only be described as artistry. Her makeup was ornate and vividly detailed. Her shoes and tiny dress were easily just as elaborate. She radiated the confidence of a woman who knew she was beautiful and took pride and care to keep it that way. Felicity suddenly felt short and plain next to her.

"I know. Isn't he supposed to be like this god to women? I'm so surprised. Still, yum," her friend breathed. The brunette's more petite accomplice had obviously gone to great pains to appear to be in the same league as her friend, but had fallen somewhat short. Her makeup was too heavily applied and her clothes not as ultra modern, but she was still lovely on her own.

"Well, I'm going to go for it. It's not every day you see a Queen alone in the wild," the haughty brunette said confidently.

Felicity hid a grimace from her face. She knew precisely who they were talking about. No. Oliver was hers. Felicity was constantly aware of the multitude of women and men flocking to fawn over Oliver, and it was annoying but didn't really make her mad. She understood the desire. She'd felt it for years. This was different though. This woman was going to make a play at seducing her Oliver. It didn't help that this woman kind of reminded Felicity of the evil bitch, Isabel Rochev. Therefore, she was precisely Oliver's type.

"No. You're not," the brunette's ginger friend giggled.

"Yes, I am. I don't care if he's broke. If half the stories are true… Mmmm," the glamorous women hummed as innuendo. The pair laughed together in response.

"You'd better be quick we're going to be…" started the petite woman. Felicity gratefully flung herself into the now vacant restroom as the woman occupying it before her exited it.

She groaned quietly as she finished drying her washed hands on a waiting paper towel. Women could be so obnoxious sometimes. _Those girls would get along great with Mom_ , Felicity thought ruefully to herself. Felicity found the women still whispering conspiratorially outside the bathroom door as she exited it.

Ignoring them, she turned the corner and saw Oliver waiting patiently at their table. Relief spread through her chest. Felicity didn't realize how irritating she had found the duo in the ladies' room queue until she felt the feeling subside upon seeing Oliver again. She didn't like that she was capable of pettiness like that.

"I'm sorry. The line for the bathroom was really long," Felicity apologized. No sooner did Felicity sit down than the waiter returned with the completed dinner check.

"It's not a problem," Oliver responded with an indulging smirk. Oliver signed the receipt with a flourish and folded his credit card back into his wallet, sticking it into his inner suit jacket pocket. Oliver thanked the nearby Eric with a nod.

"Thank you for visiting Les Rendezvous and have a good evening," Eric instructed as he collected the bill and pen from their table.

"Thank you," Felicity replied.

Oliver stood confidently, buttoned a button on his suit jacket, and held out his hand to Felicity. Felicity loved how he looked in a suit, but they were just not him at all. At least not anymore. She hadn't known Oliver before his time on the island so she didn't know if he had blossomed in formal attire before, but now he seemed like his true self in the clothes you'd never expect a wealthy- or formerly wealthy- playboy to be in. Her Oliver was a t-shirt and jeans man, and while she'd forever love seeing him dressed up like he is now, she couldn't wait to get him alone to where they could just unwind.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"We shall," Felicity said, taking his offered hand to stand.

Oliver left his hand in hers as his powerful strides propelling them forward in sync out of the restaurant. Oliver held open the door for Felicity and she walked through it with a shy smile. They paused together for a moment under the awning outside as the night had become damp and chilly. It wasn't far to Felicity's car, but Oliver still extricated himself from his grey suit jacket and draped it around Felicity, for which she was grateful. The dress she wore didn't cover much skin and merely walking out the front door of the restaurant had left her skin a blanket of goosebumps.

Oliver wrapped his arms around Felicity's waist when they reached her car. She gazed up through the dark into his grey blue eyes. "Thank you so much. Dinner was wonderful." Felicity said sincerely.

"It was. Why were we nervous again?" Oliver asked amused.

"Maybe because this wasn't our beginning. I already love you and you already love me. And it's not as if we haven't exhausted every date topic and had sex before," Felicity admitted.

Oliver smiled genuinely. "Speaking of which, I've wanted to do this all night," he said gripping Felicity's chin lightly and slowly bringing his mouth to hers. Their lips brushed, but it was enough to incite something deep inside both of them. Soon Felicity found herself pressed against her driver's side door, Oliver's hands in her hair and her one free hand gripping his bicep firmly. Their kiss was passionate but lasted only moments. The kiss was still enough to leave them both panting. Oliver leaned his forehead against Felicity's where she stayed with her eyes closed, just breathing him in. He pulled back and she opened her eyes to meet his bright ones. "I love you," he breathed.

"I love you," she whispered back.

"I'll see you at your place," Oliver said as he extricate himself from Felicity's grasp. After placing a swift kiss on her lips he turned to make his way to his nearby Ducati.

Felicity fished around her clutch purse for her car keys. She was still flustered from their brief heated kiss. She was officially anxious to get home now. As she turned to open her car door she saw the two women she had endured in the women's room queue staring at her from under the awning at the restaurant's entrance. The shock was plain on their faces. She saw their eyes flick back and forth from her to where she glanced Oliver pulling on his riding jacket. It was too good.

"Babe, your jacket," Felicity called unnecessarily loud as she gestured to his suit jacket she still wore. Oliver was only about 3 cars from her but she let her voice carry. She and Oliver didn't really use pet names for each other, but it was obvious the woman who had planned on seducing Oliver had witnessed their kiss and Felicity wanted to rub it in that Oliver was hers further.

"I'm good. I'll get it back at home," Oliver called back equally loud with a wink. His similarly exaggerated volume made Felicity wonder if he had noticed the women's appraisal too, or perhaps something had happened with them that Felicity didn't know. Oliver slid on his black helmet and roared his motorcycle to life.

Felicity smiled to herself as she removed his jacket and situated herself behind the wheel. Not only did she feel a little smug about the full blown grimace that now stretched across the face of the glamorous brunette, but joy bubbled inside her at Oliver's words. " _I'll get it back at home"_. Not _I'll get it back at_ your _home_ , just _I'll get it back at home_. Like he wanted it to be his home too. Like maybe it already was.

 *****A/N:** I still haven't emotionally recovered from S5:E17. "The rest was me practicing." That shook me to my core.


	24. Chapter 24

*****A/N:** I know I said the plot would "thicken" this chapter but as the chapter approached 3.000 words and I still had a substantial amount of things to cover before reaching the "juicy parts", I decided to break the chapter up so it'd be a slightly more reasonable length. It would have been like 6,000 words long if I hadn't broken it into 2 parts, and I think that's a little too long. I hope that's okay with you all. I've already started writing the next chapter, so I hope to have it posted in a couple of days.

 _Chapter 24_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

The past three days had been a peculiar blur of happiness for Oliver. He couldn't believe how utterly content he felt. It seemed especially odd when considering the obstacles that lay before them all. The looming threat of Ra's al Ghul and what Oliver must do to stop him always remained in the back of his mind, but being around Felicity so much the past few days lessened that worry from its usual blare to a whisper.

He had spent the past 3 days waking up next to Felicity every morning, protecting Starling City with her and the rest of the team in the evenings, and making love to her every night. In fact, he and Felicity had spent the weekend making love every chance they got. Things would have been pretty much perfect if the League of Assassins and the knowledge of his impending surrender wasn't hanging over all of their heads.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Felicity started as she gripped the doorknob to exit her apartment, "I have a late meeting tonight. We have a video conference with a tech company in Japan. I probably won't be off until like 1 a.m."

"I'm sure I can think of something to do until then," Oliver replied.

"Great. I'll text you when I'm leaving Palmer Tech," Felicity said as she locked her front door behind her and Oliver.

Taking a few steps hand and hand, Oliver said ,"I'll hear from you then," as they came to a halt next to Felicity's driver's side door.

Felicity turned to face him after unlocking her car, "Monday's are evil enough to begin with, but this weekend has really made me not want to go to work today," Felicity admitted with an amused smile. "It has been wonderful."

"You could always ditch work and spend the day with your unemployed boyfriend," Oliver teased.

A huge smile spread across Felicity's face. She sighed wistfully and hung her head momentarily before looking back up into his eyes. "I totally would if this meeting weren't so important. If we can convince them to let us buy their patent for their pulsing energy regulator we could revolutionize our carbon output. It's essential if we're going to start truly addressing global warming."

Oliver felt a small smile tug at his lips. He rarely understood the mechanics of Felicity's technological endeavors, but he loved how her personal passion within the industry always came down to helping the greater good.

"I guess it's off to work for you then," Oliver responded. He raised his hand to cup Felicity's cheek. She leaned her face into his calloused hand and her bright blue eyes warmly gazed into his own. Oliver lowered his face down to Felicity's and placed a brief tender kiss on her lips in farewell.

As Felicity drove away and Oliver made his way to his nearby Ducati, he realized that he had just admitted to being Felicity's boyfriend. They had never discussed the labels or terms of their relationship, but Oliver found himself more than pleased at the idea of being Felicity's boyfriend. It didn't seem like enough though. For once he felt like more than just a boyfriend. He had associated that word with annoyances, demands, and his many broken promises to women for so long that using it in regards to his relationship with Felicity felt almost absurd. This relationship felt different. "Boyfriend" was not adequate enough. He and Felicity were more than that. She was his partner in every sense of the word as well as the love of his life. He knew he was irrevocably changed because of her.

 **~`^`~ O~`^`~**

The sweat dripped from Oliver's back. He didn't know how long exactly he had been training in Verdant's lair but the lactic acid in his muscles burned a familiar, satisfying sensation. He felt his breathing slow as he pulled away from the well-worn wooden sparing dummy. _There is no such thing as being too prepared_ , he mused.

Oliver turned at the sound of Diggle, followed closely by Roy, entering the room from Verdant's secret alley entrance.

"Figured you'd be here. Any news?" Dig asked.

"No red flags yet. It's only a matter of time though," Oliver replied, nodding in the direction of the bank of nearby computers.

"We're covered for when they show," Dig reassured.

Oliver turned away from the men and walked to a nearby equipment table. After wiping his sweaty face on the shirt he had abandoned there, Oliver pulled two short swords into his hands from the table top. Quickly spinning in a hundred and eighty degree turn, Oliver threw the shining weapons to his comrades in arms. Both men caught their sword reflexively out of the air.

"Swords again? We never use them," Roy criticized.

"Yeah, I'll stick with my .40 cal, thanks," Dig commented.

"They're not just for you. Ra's favors swords and I need to train. You both could use a lot more practice with them too," Oliver rebutted.

"Fine," Roy said with ill concealed annoyance.

Roy removed his hoodie and Dig abandoned his jacket, but both men elected to keep clothed. Oliver knew it was a subconscious desire for protection. As if a swatch of cotton would protect them more than nothing. Their group was always careful during training but accidents did happen, and some errors still remained evident on Oliver's body to this day.

Oliver no longer cared about the appearance of his scars anymore. They were part of who he was. Any additional ones accrued during training would just be more to add to the collection. Still, he would do his damndest to make sure they didn't even get close to reaching him to land a mark.

Oliver turned back to the equipment table and grabbed the two remaining swords waiting there. He gripped one firmly in each hand, swinging them in strategic circles to gauge their weight and acclimate to their feel. Oliver marched towards the waiting sparring area as the two other men followed.

"Try not to chop off my arms, okay? I don't think Arsenal would be particularly helpful with a bow and arrow missing one," Roy teased. Oliver could hear Roy's effort to hide his nervousness under his humored attempt at deflection.

"I second that request," Dig chimed.

"Well, remember your training and keep moving and I won't," Oliver replied to them both. Oliver watched Roy roll his eyes in response but still take his place opposite Oliver in the sparring area. Dig got into position behind Oliver and they all breathed into their ready stances.

"Don't let up. Don't hold back," Oliver commanded the two men sternly. Dig and Roy gave small nods of agreement, albeit reluctant agreement, in return.

A heartbeat later, without signal or coordination, both men came at Oliver in unison. Oliver swiftly raised his own blades to counter Roy before him and Dig at his back. Pivoting his body sideways, he deftly blocked Dig's sword with his left blade, followed quickly by the stop of Roy's assault with his right sword. The action felt a little unfamiliar to Oliver. He had gotten complacent from almost exclusively using his bow and arrow and hand-to-hand combat. He would definitely need to work more with long blades if he was going to be prepared for what the League undoubtedly had in store.

 **~`^`~ O~`^`~**

"You really need to install showers down here, Oliver. I barely have time to run home and shower now," Roy complained. "Thea will kick my ass if I'm late for work again."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that with all the money I don't have," Oliver quipped.

"Yeah, sorry, man. I didn't think of that," Roy apologized as he made his way to leave.

"Maybe someday," Oliver said. It was beyond wishful thinking that he might someday get his company back. The fact that Queens Consolidated didn't even technically exist anymore didn't help. Still, Oliver knew he would like to do something to be productive with his life other than jumping off rooftops to pummel bad guys. Preferably, he wanted an occupation that actually earned money. He almost laughed out loud at the thought.

Oliver had spent his life previous to being marooned on Lian Yu reveling in the knowledge that his family's wealth was substantial enough that he would never need to work and he could still live a relatively lavish lifestyle. Unfortunately, Slade Wilson and Isabel Rochev had swiftly ended that possibility with their schemes. He'd think of something eventually, but for now his dwindling trust fund would have to do to support himself and his ventures as the Arrow.

After spending some time performing weapons maintenance and assembling more of a variety of their arrows, Dig bid Oliver farewell until that evening and slid out the lair's secret exit, leaving Oliver alone. Oliver could think of nothing to be done to occupy himself. The lair's computers remained obnoxiously silent. Oliver thought with as much work as Felicity did to increase their flow of information something would be discovered to give Oliver something to occupy his time- and hopefully allow him to punch someone- but the computers remained almost obstinately silent. It was as if they were determined that Oliver had nothing to do. No leads to track, not even a random daytime disturbance to intervene in.

Surrendering to his boredom, Oliver ascended the stairs to arrive at the main level of the club. He knew Verdant was hours from being open but he was sure Thea would be in her office starting the day by now. He hadn't seen Thea in days and he figured he may as well take the opportunity to greet her and in the process hopefully spare himself from a future lecture about him pulling away from her.

Walking up the stairs to the executive office on the upper floor, Oliver felt a wave of moroseness sweep him up for the briefest moment. As much as Oliver was glad Thea was running the club, it still made him a little sad. If Tommy had lived, the office could have still been their shared office. If Sara had lived, she would have been tending bar tonight. If his mother had lived, Thea would probably be working in some elite socialite capacity, not managing a nightclub. Still, he was grateful for what they still had.

Oliver entered the office and found Thea standing by the desk with her back facing the door as she examined files. He could hear the blare of some sort of upbeat music coming from the earbuds that hung down from her ears. Oliver moved closer into the office behind her. She was obviously engrossed in what she was doing.

Suddenly, Thea spun her tiny frame around, her hand raised in a fist to attack. As soon as Thea saw it was Oliver at her back, she tried to nonchalantly put her hand down in an obvious attempt to brush off her movements. Her endeavor to appear like someone in the act of removing their headphones as opposed to about to punch someone was entirely unsuccessful, but Oliver didn't let his expression indicate to her that he found anything suspicious about her actions. It was apparent to Oliver that she had felt him behind her and reacted defensively. As much as Oliver loathed Malcolm, he could at least grudgingly admit that he had obviously improved Thea's reflexes. No matter how capable of defending herself Malcolm had helped Thea become, to Oliver it would never negate the fact that Malcolm had drugged her and made Thea murder a friend.

"Ollie! What're you doing here?" Thea started a little breathless. "Finally here to beg for a job?" she deflected with a sly smile.

Oliver kept his face free of the turmoil that beat inside him and clasped his hands behind his back. "Not just yet. I just got back from the gym and I figured I'd come say hello since I was close by," he countered with a small smile.

"So you're that smell then?" Thea teased as she exasperatingly scrunched up her face in mock disgust.

"The showers at my gym were broken," Oliver lied smoothly. It wasn't entirely untrue but saying his gym didn't have showers or that he was in actuality training in the basement would open up a world of question that he could not answer. "Need any help?"

"Uh, sure. You can unload that box of champagne on to the shelves there if you want," Thea said with mild confusion. "So, I'm assuming you recently being M.I.A is because you've been spending time with Felicity. Unless you got a job, that is," she cleverly pried.

As if on cue, Oliver's phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling himself up from over the champagne bottle-filled crate, Oliver read the incoming text message.

Felicity: _Why did you let me go to work today?_

Oliver smirked and replied: _You are saving the planet, remember?_

Felicity: _Ugh. You're no fun._

Oliver: _Really? I thought we had fun this weekend._

Felicity: _Yes, in many ways._

Oliver felt oddly playful and replied: _In what ways? Describe them…_

Felicity: _You don't play fair. You're distracting me even more, Mr. Queen._

Oliver: _Wasn't that the point, Miss Smoak?_

Felicity: _True. I have to go. I'll see you tonight._

Oliver: _Tonight. I love you._

Felicity: _I love you too._

Their whole exchange had taken a matter of moments, but Oliver still found Thea's eyes boring into him as he stowed his phone back in his jeans pocket. She had obviously been inspecting him and was pleased with what she saw. "Well, that answers that question." Oliver rolled his eyes in reply to her smug statement. "Oh, come on. It doesn't take a genius to notice your face lighting up every time someone says her name. Those texts were from her, I'm sure of it. You're serious about her, aren't you?"

"Mind your own business, Speedy," Oliver chastised halfheartedly. "Speaking of jobs, I may have a last minute job interview coming up. I'm not sure when it's happening but I may be hard to reach for a while if they call about it." Oliver lied.

Roy had successfully placed a tracker inside Thea's cell phone case so Oliver possibly had means to locate Thea if Ra's al Ghul or Malcolm did something to her, but Oliver still needed to set up an excuse to explain his impending second sudden absence from Starling City. Thea would be undeterred in her search for Oliver should he just disappear again, so he was making whatever preparations he could now to assuage her.

The entire team was apprehensive about the effectiveness of only placing a tracker on Thea's cell phone due to the easily disposable nature of a phone, but they really had no other option without letting Thea in on the precaution and the reason for it.

With societal privilege came certain expectations, and the Queen family women had always been regular fashionistas. The problem with Thea's on-trend wardrobe was that she rarely wore the same thing two days in a row, so unless they wanted to place tracking devices on every piece of clothing, shoes, and accessory she owned, she was unlikely to have a tracker on her at all times unless it was with something she always had with her. All they could do is pray that if the worst happened, Thea would somehow squirrel away her phone unnoticed so that the team could still locate her. Oliver didn't like thinking about that but he'd learned the value of assessing vulnerabilities and keeping them watched long ago.

"That's great. What's the job?" Thea asked. Oliver could see her intuition flashing behind her eyes. She could tell Oliver was keeping details from her but he was sure she had at least bought his pretext for leaving.

"I'm not sure yet. Felicity has some connections with some companies that are hiring but I don't know the positions," Oliver breezed. At the very least, if worse came to worse Felicity could create some sort of fake paper trail for Oliver's supposed interview. He made a note to tell Felicity what he'd told Thea. Felicity was far from a convincing liar- especially so when put on the spot- so giving Felicity a heads up to prepare would definitely help.

"Well, I hope it goes well," Thea said, appearing somewhat placated.

Relieved, Oliver finished unloading the crates in silence as Thea occasionally chattered happily to him. This was what he was protecting with his sacrifice to Ra's al Ghul. He'd do anything to protect Thea. He would die before he let her come to harm at anyone's hands. He would forfeit anything required of him in order to spare her from the knowledge of what Malcolm had done to her.

Thea had lost so much of her ability to trust over the years, and Oliver wasn't sure if Thea could ever recover from the knowledge that her biological father that she trusted had manipulated her into becoming a murderer. It didn't matter now because Thea would never find out. He would kill Malcolm before he let that happen.


	25. Chapter 25

*****A/N:** I noticed a million errors in this chapter on 9/11/17, so I've edited some. I hope it is better now. Here is the completion of what was outlined to be in the previous chapter. I had to rewrite the dialogue at the end literally 5 times (no exaggeration). I hope you enjoy this chapter and that breaking it into two parts was not too obnoxious. The chapter would have been 7,000 words, and therefore way too long otherwise.

 _Chapter 25_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

"I'm sure Roy thanks you for doing his job for him," Thea taunted with a coy smile.

"He's not so bad," Oliver brushed off nonchalantly. Oliver could far from admit to Thea that he and Roy knew each other much better than just their perceived "in-passing buddies" status.

Roy had recently confessed to Oliver that Thea had discovered his role as Arsenal but Roy swore to keep his knowledge of Oliver being the Arrow a secret, no matter Thea's questioning. Oliver was sure of Roy's sincerity but Thea's knowledge of Arsenal's secret identity was still problematic. All of them would have preferred for her to remain ignorant for her own protection.

It probably helped that the Thea and Roy were no longer a romantic couple. While Oliver was ultimately glad that they were not seeing each other anymore, he still felt a little bad for them both. Roy was a good man deep down and Thea had shown she was capable of liking much stupider people.

Thea's current place in both of their lives seemed almost ideal to Oliver. She was close enough that keeping an eye on her was easier, but far enough away to avoid the complications that romantic entanglements always brought. However, while Oliver could see that Thea was happy, she lacked the joyful buoyancy that she had had before their mother's death. If Oliver was honest with himself, he hoped someday, when Roy's time as Arsenal was over, they'd find their way back to each other. Thea deserved to be happy and Roy had proven himself worthy of meeting that task.

"Yeah, you guys are all buddy buddy now, huh?" Thea chirped.

Oliver feigned innocence as he declined to answer her probe. He had spent a good majority of the evening with Thea and was starting to feel anxious again. He wanted to get out of the club and find a way to occupy himself with a venture that felt useful. Protecting those he cared about and the whole of Starling City would certainly satisfy that desire.

"I've got to run, Speedy," Oliver said smoothly.

"That's fine. Jesus, it's almost nine o'clock. We open in half an hour anyway. Thank you for the help," Thea thanked.

"No problem. I'll see you later," he said before quietly exiting the room.

Oliver made his way down the stairs and through the club, skirting the bustling employees that moved around Verdant. Departing the club through the front door, Oliver made his way to his Ducati in the parking lot designated for Verdant. If he couldn't tackle some sort of emergency in the city, at least he could kill some time. Plus, he didn't realize how hungry he was until now.

 **~`^`~ O~`^`~**

Oliver sat in the deserted Big Belly Burger and slowly ate his cheeseburger and fries. He noticed his nerves calmed significantly the more sated his hunger got. He had definitely become accustomed to having easily accessible food again. He enjoyed having the luxuries Lian Yu, Hong Kong, and Russia lacked available to him once more. He especially liked the fact that Big Belly Burger was open late.

"Can I get you anything else?" The waitress fawned. She leaned against the table Oliver sat at, attempting to appear casual. Oliver noticed that the freckled brunette had undone the top 3 buttons of her uniform and leaned over slightly, trying to slyly bare her cleavage to his face. Oliver stifled an amused scoff. He could see the only other employee in the restaurant behind the food preparation counter, failing to cover the broad smile on his face with his hand.

 _This was coordinated,_ Oliver thought. "No, thank you," he replied politely.

"We close in half an hour, just so you know," the buxom woman said quietly. She gave Oliver a lust filled look and remained stationary at his table. It was obvious to Oliver that she was angling for him to ask her to go with him somewhere when the restaurant closed. Once upon a time, he probably would have taken her out. The woman was pretty and curvy and in the past he probably would have taken her for a drink in the hopes of getting to sleep with her. Now, however, he felt no interest in her whatsoever. He was sure she was a nice enough person, but the temptation that used to linger in the air around him at all times was completely absent. Felicity had filled whatever hole was in him that had driven that feeling. The hole inside him had even grown during his five years from hell. It was an emptiness he had been sure would never be filled, and he was happy to be wrong.

Oliver's phone vibrated quietly from his pocket, sparing him from responding. He placed the money for his meal with the addition of a large tip down on the table, refusing to meet the flirtatious woman's eye. As he turned to leave the restaurant, he spied out of the corner of his vision the waitress looking disappointed at the table he had previously occupied while her coworker looked on obviously repressing a fit of laughter.

Oliver pulled his phone from his jeans pocket and found himself hoping the message he had received would result in another playful bout of texting with Felicity. He smothered his disappointed after seeing the message was from Diggle.

Diggle: _We have something._

Anxiety bristled in Oliver's chest. Something was going on. He had to get to the bunker.

 **~`^`~ O~`^`~**

After keying in the code to the lair's security system, Oliver started his descent into their base of operations. A drunken couple was having sex, or was about to, in the alley that housed the secret side entrance to the bunker, so Oliver had been forced to enter the lair through the gyrating club. Luckily, utilizing all his stealth capabilities made him certain he wasn't detected by Verdant's many patrons.

"That was fast," Diggle called to Oliver when he was about halfway down the flight of stairs.

"I was nearby," Oliver replied as he stepped into the bunker.

"Thea handled now?" Dig inquired.

"She thinks Felicity got me a mystery job interview. What's going on?" Oliver asked.

"I'm not quite sure. There's some kind of fire coming from the Department of Water and Power plant, but it's odd," Diggle said.

"Odd how?" Oliver questioned.

"It has some attributes of a chemical fire but it's too localized and nothing seems to be burning. No chemical listed on the plant's inventory would cause purple smoke when burned either. Felicity's new system filters flagged it as suspicious but didn't give any insight into a response," Diggle informed. "Should we leave just leave it up to S.C.F.D? You're a talented man, Oliver, but I don't see you being able to do much about a chemical fire."

"After Shrapnel's last bomb we can't be too careful. The gas masks we have are more advanced than anything the S.C.F.D has. I'll scout ahead to see if we need to prepare the city for a chemical weapons attack," Oliver decided.

Diggle gave a small nod and responded, "You know this could be a trap, Oliver," unveiling his hesitance.

"I know," Oliver said, closing his eyes and scrubbing his hand roughly across his face. "That's why you'll give Lance a heads up, just in case."

"You need back up," Dig insisted.

"No, I need you here monitoring the system for warning signs and Roy should stay with Thea. If this is a trap, we need our bases covered," Oliver countered.

"What about Felicity?" Dig asked confused.

"There is some make or break meeting going on at P.T. We don't know if this is serious or not yet. Don't concern her unless necessary," Oliver responded.

"You know she won't like being left in the dark, man," Diggle said cautiously.

Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb and exhaled harshly. He knew Diggle was right but Oliver really did not want to worry Felicity needlessly. "I know. If something goes wrong or I'm not back in two hours, call her and Laurel," he acquiesced.

Dig gave a quiet sigh of resignation under his breath in reply. "Okay, if you're sure."

"Yes. There is no need to raise the alarm if I get there and find it can be handled by S.C.F.D," Oliver reassured, nodding resolutely. He hoped that his relative confidence was good enough to assuage Diggle's fears.

Oliver turned on his heel and strode to his awaiting gear. After donning his suit, mask, and weaponry, he grabbed one of the advanced A.R.G.U.S gas masks that Layla Michaels had managed to acquire for them from under Amanda Waller's nose. As he pulled the mask over his head to rest on the top of his chest, Oliver hoped the mask would not be necessary, and if it was, it would be adequate enough to protect him.

 **~`^`~ O~`^`~**

Oliver stepped away from his motorcycle and into the solitude of the area surrounding the power plant. Even in the dark he could see billowing plumes of deep purple smoke emanating from somewhere out of sight on the other side of the building complex. The slight glare from the protective visor on the compact gas mask Oliver wore over his face, along with the plant's soft outdoor lighting, dimmed his already poorly lit surroundings. The mild impairment in his vision increased the level of alert Oliver felt. He wished that he could remove the gas mask to at least free up that hindrance to his senses but he knew until the environment around him had been deemed safe by the meter he carried, he must endure the loss of his ability to smell and the barrier to his vision.

Oliver examined the airborne particle scanner in his left hand cautiously. He went through the steps to start it carefully, thereby making sure he initiated its scanning process correctly. After registering a series of quiet beeps and flashing lights, the small grey controller displayed that it had started its examination of the area around him.

"Dig, I'm on site. The scanner is working. Beginning the perimeter search now," Oliver spoke to Diggle on the other line of his coms.

"Roger. Felicity's system still isn't registering any movement. It's possible the plant is empty," Dig replied.

Oliver didn't like having to keep his bow at rest but he couldn't notch an arrow and aim his bow while holding the small grey device that was determining the state of area around him. He continued his pace around the edge of the plant, scrutinizing it as he went. His eyes searched the expansive area before him for any sign of movement or anything out of the ordinary. He could see nothing suspicious, but his vision was far from perfect at the moment. He would need to proceed carefully as he approached the area where the cloud of smoke appeared to be coming from. It was behind the building directly at his front. The fact that the smoke originated from the rear of the complex meant that Oliver would have to make his way through the plant and go to an area completely out of view. To his dismay, he had no idea what he was walking into.

Moments later, he heard a quiet chime come from the small scanner in his hand. Oliver ceased his patrol and read the results the airborne particle scanner had compiled.

"The scanner says the air is clean. Nothing foreign or toxic registered," Oliver said to Diggle over their coms.

"Okay, Arrow. Stay on your guard," Diggle replied.

Oliver slowly removed his gas mask and took a small breath in through his nose. He could smell the smoke in the air but he couldn't identify anything actively nefarious with his newly-restored vision or ability to smell. Oliver couldn't feel any excess heat radiating in the environment that he would have associated with a fire either.

Oliver's hesitance remained just as high as he abandoned his gas mask and the particle scanner back with his nearby motorcycle. He thought it very unlikely he was walking into a chemical fire and he was therefore suspicious of the circumstances surrounding him, but he was definitely relieved that it looked like their fears of it being a chemical or biological attack was negated.

"Roger. Stay on coms," Oliver instructed. He took a couple of steps forward into the power plant's complex. His bow was notched with an arrow and at the ready. Sweeping the main area, he continued to not see a single suspicious item or any movement. He made his way toward the corner he would need to turn to reach the recessed area the smoke arose from.

"What is the heat signature reading?" Oliver asked Diggle.

"It's strange, I'm not registering any heat signature from the complex," Dig said anxiously.

Oliver knew as he advanced toward the plumes of smoke, that he would potentially get boxed into the area it came from. The situation didn't sit well with him. It would be easy to trap an enemy in the surrounding buildings and machinery with how compactly everything was put together. With the heat signature coming back empty, he was relatively confident he wasn't walking into an inferno or a camp full of soldiers, so he stamped down his apprehension and made his way into the remote section of the plant.

He kept his guard up as he astutely examined the surroundings he passed into. Everything still appeared abandoned and nothing registered as strange in the surrounding complex other than the heavy scent of the acrid smoke. Despite everything around him registering a state of relative peace, Oliver's intuition prickled. Something was not right.

Oliver heard a soft crackle of static emanate from the com in his right ear. He dismissed the noise as interference caused by the huge metal structures surrounding him. One heartbeat later, a sharp pop and silence began to echo from the com.

"Diggle, come in," Oliver said warily.

Not a single sound registered from the device in response. This was not interference. It was sabotage. Oliver's communications had been disabled. He didn't have time to worry about how it had been accomplished or who had done it. All Oliver knew was he had just walked into a possibly inescapable area that could be on fire, without the ability to call for help.

 _This is definitely a trap_ , Oliver thought. He could have retreated, but it was too late. The billowing smoke lay around the corner before him and the only thing he could do was face whatever awaited him there. A frisson of fear ran through Oliver's chest. He raised his weapon and turned the final corner to advance into the spot the smoke was rising from.

Oliver was no longer alone in the night. In the open area before him, no less than ten members of the League of Assassins waited for Oliver. Keeping his bow and arrow raised, he advanced into the plant and swept his weapon across the contingent of warriors before him. All of them donned their traditional black armored clothing, face concealing hoods, and many weapons. Oliver hoped with all of his heart that one of the fighters before him was Maseo. Oliver could hardly expect Maseo to reveal himself and risk arousing suspicion in the League's ranks, but it would have been nice to know he had at least one ally in what was, to Oliver, a sea of enemies.

"Lower your weapon, Mr. Queen. It will not be needed," a steady voice echoed from behind the line of assassins.

There was movement and the soldiers in front of Oliver parted to reveal Ra's al Ghul's presence. The imposing middle-aged man confidently strode through the expansive vacant space that lay between Oliver and the League. Ra's walked towards him with powerful strides and with his hands clasped behind his back. The dark man came to a stop partway between the line of warriors he had separated himself from and Oliver. The Demon's Head's face remained firmly set as he faced Oliver boldly.

Oliver knew he was hopelessly outmatched. He knew there was no point in resisting. That knowledge, however, didn't change his overwhelming desire to fight. After an internal battle, he slowly lowered his bow in response to Ra's al Ghul's command. To assuage his instinct to fight, he kept an arrow notched and ready as a precaution. Oliver's eyes remained trained on Ra's and the guard of Assassins through his mask, waiting for any sense he was about to be attacked.

"If you are here to kill me, get it over with," Oliver snapped at Ra's al Ghul.

"Your survival of our duel revealed your true power. No, Mr. Queen. I don't want to kill you. You have shown tremendous strength." Ra's al Ghul replied in a deep even voice. His body remained like a statue in front of Oliver. His posture was strong, yet Oliver knew his open chest and hands being clasped behind his back was meant to convey a relaxed and reassuring bearing. That subconscious message did nothing to placate the disquiet Oliver felt.

"Why the subterfuge then? A regiment of fighters doesn't exactly recommend your goal is a friendly conversation," Oliver rebutted.

"Al Sa-her has endowed the League with technological gifts that have proved quite valuable in recent endeavors. Would you have come peacefully if I had simply commanded it? I very much doubt that," the Demon's Head said almost smugly.

"What are you doing here then?" Oliver questioned. Of course, Oliver already knew why Ra's and the League were there. Maseo had told him what was coming for him, but Oliver still held a small place in his heart that desperately hoped Maseo had been wrong.

"Everything must come to an end. Even for one so as me. I want you to take my place, Mr. Queen," Ra's al Ghul said seriously. The ornately embroidered heavy black robes the daunting man wore seemed to additionally convey how solemn he felt about his offer to Oliver.

It took everything within Oliver to stifle a groan of disappointment. Maseo had definitely been correct about his leader's beliefs and intentions towards Oliver. He braced himself, seeking both emotional and physical fortitude. Oliver had cultivated an even more impressive grasp on his previous skill of lying due to the hardships he had endured during the past few years. Oliver prayed now that the performance it would enable him to give would be enough to lead Ra's astray as to his knowledge and his plans for the League.

"What?" Oliver forced quiet bitter laughter up from his throat, "No. Leave Starling City and take your warriors with you. Now," he commanded to some extent.

Ra's al Ghul did not look angered or dissuaded by Oliver's heated decline in the slightest. He merely spoke back to Oliver in a foreign language in his resonating voice.

"What the hell does that mean?" Oliver snapped.

He remained captivated by the Demon's Head but it did not escape Oliver that the League of Assassins warriors were spreading out and extending their line behind their leader.

"'The tale to be told begins thus.' I can offer you something you have sought many years, a means to live free from pain," Ra's al Ghul coerced.

"No, I'm not a killer anymore. I will not be an assassin again," Oliver insisted.

Oliver's grip on his lowered bow at his side firmed as he watched the assassins wrap around the area separating him and Ra's al Ghul, slowly swallowing the empty space at Oliver's sides. Oliver could also feel movement in the gap between him and the buildings behind him. He kept his eyes resolutely on the Demon's Head but kept his peripheral vision acutely watching the fighters slowly circling him in serious stances.

"You do not need to be a killer. You will die for me, like the men and women who swear fealty to Ra's al Ghul will die for you, Mr. Queen," Ra's replied in a way that could only be described as sacred.

"You think I'd die for you?" Oliver responded incredulously. "That is never going to happen. I won't let anyone else die for me either."

"Then I suggest you come with me," the Demon's Head said gravely.

"Why would I do that?" Oliver issued aggressively.

Part of the vicinity of the plant Oliver and the League occupied was unseen to Oliver, but he knew regardless that he was now surrounded. He was certain that his brief conversation with the Demon's Head had eliminated any slim chance of escape he may have initially had. Even without examining his surroundings, Oliver knew he was done for.

"Because the safety of the city and people you love are in peril. We could rain down the full force of the League upon Starling City in an instant," Ra's al Ghul threatened in an even voice. "The people you champion will feel devastation if you refuse, Mr. Queen. I have no desire to kill you. I have no such trepidation about the citizens of your city or your family however. I have only to issue the command and my people will follow," Ra's finished with quiet menace.

Oliver's instincts screamed at him to raise his weapons and fight his way out of his situation. His intellect, however, knew that he had no options. Rarely had Oliver allowed himself to be backed into a corner, either physically or metaphorically, but he knew that was most definitely the predicament that lay before him.

His resignation nearly choked him. He dropped his bow and arrow to the ground on his left. His hands remained stationary at his sides as he suppressed his ingrained inclination to resort to hand-to-hand combat when disarmed.

The League of Assassins members and Ra's al Ghul remained completely stationary before Oliver, which unnerved him. Just as he was about to move to join the group of warriors as was seemingly requested, Oliver felt swift movement behind him. A crushing blow landed on the back of his skull before he could even register his need to confront the person behind him.

Oliver collapsed to the pavement beneath him, a sharp pain resonating in the back of his head. Exhaling a groan of pain, the darkness folded around Oliver's vision and he lost consciousness. His last thought as he closed his eyes was of Felicity and his fear for her safety.

 *****F/N:** My Olicity-shipping heart adored S5:E20 so much. I want Oliver and Felicity together again so much. On another note: please cross your fingers for me. I'm possibly having surgery tomorrow (Wednesday). I'm headed out of town shortly after that, so I potentially won't update here for a while. Someone is literally reading this over my shoulder as I type. It's very distracting. I hope it didn't destroy this chapter.


	26. Chapter 26

*****A/N:** Happy Pride month, everyone! I hope you all have a great June. I won't be able to go to Pride this year. It is only the 2nd time in 8 years that I've missed it. To those of you who are able to go to your respective Prides, have a blast for me. My surgery got delayed so I still feel horrendous. I hope the last chapter was tolerable.

 _Chapter 26_

 **~`·`~ Diggle ~`·`~**

Every solider knew that you never let a fellow soldier go onto the battlefield alone. John's intuition had shouted at him not to let Oliver investigate the power plant without backup, but Oliver's assurance that it was only a reconnaissance mission did somewhat assuage Diggle's fears. With Felicity unavailable, Dig did have to admit that having him monitor the situation from Felicity's computer system in the lair while Roy watched Thea was probably the wisest plan for the protection of their group and Starling City as a whole.

Captain Lance had been given a heads up and Roy given orders as planned as Oliver left for the reconnaissance. Lance had confirmed that S.C.F.D had seen the smoke as well but that they were busy putting out an apartment building that was ablaze in the more affluent area of Starling City. That fire had broken out mere minutes before the smoke at the plant started. That knowledge did not sit well with Dig but he ignored the foreboding feeling that it gave him and continued to follow orders, as did Roy.

The moment Oliver's coms had fizzled out of existence, whatever optimism or pacifism Dig had begun to feel about Oliver assessing the smoke alone vanished. John had suppressed his immediate desire to gather the team to go assess Oliver's situation at the power plant. He had initially considered it but ultimately decided to continue following Oliver's orders. Even with their upgraded coms, some interference was common in that area. It would not have been smart to gather the troops with worry, only to then possibly have Oliver walk through the door after allowing the fire department to handle the situation at the plant. Oliver's silence could have been nothing and succumbing to panic was never a soldier's friend on the battlefield. Panic leads to poor decisions. Following orders is the right thing to do.

That, however, was eighty minutes ago. Diggle was seriously regretting his decision not to intervene. Oliver had been gone two hours total now, eighty minutes of which had been in utter silence and Dig's orders were to finally call everyone in. Something had definitely gone wrong. While John could only guess what that was, he had a feeling in his gut that this had been a trap all along. Deep down John feared that his inaction had lead to Oliver's incapacitation, capture, or worse… Oliver's death.

Diggle smothered his anxiety and retrieved his cell phone from his jacket pocket. He called Laurel and asked her to come in, but saved the explanation as to why for when she arrived. He then texted Roy, telling him Oliver had not reported in. Finally, he shook off the chagrin he felt at having kept Felicity in the dark and composed a text message to her. He knew four simple words would be enough to convey what he needed to tell her.

The guilt he felt at not summoning the team as soon as Oliver's coms went dark did not subside with calling them all in. Dig refusing to call in Roy, Thea, Laurel, or even inform Felicity as to what was going on, had obviously left Oliver in a vulnerable position. Diggle felt particular remorse when he thought about his having kept Felicity in the dark completely. It was unfair. Palmer Tech meeting or no, she should have been able to make her own decision about coming in.

They were partners, after all.

 **~`*`~ Felicity, a little over 2 hours earlier ~`*`~**

Felicity shook her head and groaned to herself. The cementing of her relationship with Oliver was making it terribly hard for her to focus at work. The joy she felt at Oliver having referred to himself as her "boyfriend" seemed to follow her as a radiant sun of happiness everywhere she went. Along with her happiness, having sex regularly didn't help her concentration either. Any time there was a lull in her duties at Palmer Tech or she found a subject especially tedious, she found herself fantasizing about Oliver. She couldn't decide which daydream winding around her mind was her favorite. She had some romantic ones where Oliver randomly surprised her at work with a bouquet of flowers and offered to take her to dinner. She also had some deeply arousing ones where Oliver would bury his head between her legs as she sat in her desk chair or he'd fuck her wildly as she laid sprawled naked across it.

Her musings truly became a problem when she had apparently been staring off into space not hearing a word her assistant spoke to her, prompting him to ask if she was okay. If her meeting tonight had not been so important to P.T, Felicity was entirely sure she would have bunked off the rest of the evening of work and gone home to see Oliver.

For the first time since Cooper's suicide, Felicity found herself somewhat unmotivated to do anything productive. Fortunately, this time the circumstances prompting her lack of desire was completely different. When Cooper had died, Felicity had spiraled into a pit of depression and guilt. The man she loved had killed himself in prison while taking the fall for a crime she had helped commit. Felicity was still certain that if she had taken responsibility for their crimes, Cooper would be alive today.

Now, however, Felicity's borderline laissez faire attitude came from a place of pure joy. Today she had even gone so far as to instigate a silly, meaningless bought of texting with Oliver when she was bored. Felicity just wanted to be with Oliver. She fantasized that they could spend all their time together being in love and as some sort of cliché crime-fighting couple at night. They would be like Buffy and Angel, only with more regular bow and arrows, and less crossbows or wooden stakes. _And absolutely no bloodsucking_ she smiled to herself. Felicity could not kick ass like Buffy, but between Oliver and John's instruction, Felicity could take care of herself pretty well. Felicity almost laughed out loud at the thought of her wearing a mask and hood while wielding a bow and arrow to protect the city. She wondered what would have to happen in her life to motivate the desire to do that for her. She was curious if Barry Allen knew of one of her doppelgangers being a mask-wearing vigilante on another Earth. That was most definitely something Felicity was not interested in doing here. She was more than willing to protect herself or the ones she loved with force when it came down to it, but she preferred to remain behind a keyboard in the field.

Felicity knew that her thoughts and daydreams were just her being ridiculous and atypically romantic. She knew she would undoubtedly go insane should she try to actually try to abandon work and be with Oliver 24/7 in real life. The concept of doing so still brought a smile to her face though.

"Miss Smoak?" Felicity's assistant buzzed from his desk through the speaker phone in her office.

"Yes, Gerry?" Felicity responded.

"You asked for a 15 minute warning for when the Hitachi Corporation meeting will begin. It is 9:45, Miss Smoak." Gerry informed.

"Thank you. Tell Karen I'll be up to the conference room momentarily," Felicity ordered.

"Yes ma'am," her assistant agreed before signing off their call.

It still really annoyed Felicity that her assistant flatly refused to call her by her given name, opting instead for Miss Smoak, ma'am or miss, but she guessed she should get used to it. Being an executive had its downsides.

Felicity gathered her purse, phone and tablet with all the documents, graphs, and slides needed for their presentation ready to go. She was not nearly as optimistic as Ray when she thought about Palmer Tech's chances of acquiring the patent for the Energy Regulation and Redirection Unit (otherwise known as E.R.R.U.) from Mr. Satoru Hitachi of the Hitachi Corporation. Though the market for this technology was relatively small currently, if the United States actually started addressing its effect on global warming, the demand for the E.R.R.U's technology could skyrocket. It could potentially make billions of dollars off of profits and create thousands of jobs. Unfortunately, the likelihood of this purchase going through was going to be remote.

Purchasing the patent was a great idea and Felicity wanted Palmer Tech to succeed with this acquisition, but something felt a little off. While she knew that the Energy Regulation and Redirection Unit would be great for the planet's energy conservation and carbon battling efforts, she knew it could also be used for weaponry. It could make weapons of mass destruction have more energy efficiency and be able to travel greater distances with less chance of detection. This technology could be incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands. Ray had all but shrugged off her concerns when she had brought up the technology's potentially devastating effects with him previously. He cited Palmer Technologies' advanced security protocols, saying P.T. was the most qualified group in the world to protect this information. Felicity knew that could be true but she still had a nagging feeling that she was missing something. She worried there were plans for the unit that she did not know about and that concerned her.

 **~`*`~ F ~`*`~**

"Mister Hitachi…" Ray continued politely to the mustached man occupying the center seat at the table of businesspeople on the television screen before them.

Felicity was beginning to get tired. It was nearly midnight. Their video conference with the Hitachi Corporation had been going on for nearly 2 hours. To Felicity, this meeting seemed to be going nowhere. Despite the many slides of how a profit of his sale of the E.R.R.U's patent to Palmer Tech would provide the Hitachi Corporation with more money now than they were likely to make from the technology themselves in the next 10 years, Satoru Hitachi did not budge with his refusal to sell. The board members and employees that sat in on his end of the conference call seem to make no motions to convince him to do otherwise.

"No, Doctor Palmer. How can you expect me to turn over my creation when it could greatly profit my shareholders?" Satoru Hitachi countered passionately.

"Because you care about the planet, Mister Hitachi," Felicity finally interjected. Felicity had remained relatively reserved during the meeting up until then out of caution. She was not a great negotiator and she did not want to do something to eliminate the slim chance Palmer Tech had at making a deal. She had satisfied herself with manning the presentation's technology needs and only speaking up when presenting information, a question was voiced, or someone misstated a statistic.

"Excuse me?" Satoru questioned, surprise coloring his tone.

"Last year alone you donated to five charities aimed at combating the effects of global warming. That's millions of yen. One hundred and twenty five million yen, if I remember correctly," Felicity stated.

"And?" Hitachi said, scarcely hiding his obvious irritation at Felicity's knowledge of his finances.

"You know this technology could do much greater things in Palmer Technologies' hands. Our company's reach is wider than yours. Allowing us to manufacture the E.R.R.U would mean greater numbers in production at a cheaper price, making the technology more affordable. That means more people globally could have access to it. This may mean the fate of the planet, Mister Hitachi. Would you rather be the man that got rich off of his technology or the man who got credit for leading the global revolution that saved planet Earth?" Felicity finished.

Satoru Hitachi remained silent for moments on end, meeting Felicity's eye seriously. "Doctor Palmer has obviously come to feel great respect for your talents, Miss Smoak. I believe I may one day share his opinion," Hitachi responded.

Felicity repressed a smug grin and merely gave a tiny nod of gratitude to the man addressing her from across the world in response.

In just that moment, Felicity felt her nearby cell phone vibrate. She had discreetly hidden her phone out of sight of the conference camera behind her propped up tablet for the duration of their meeting with the Hitachi Corporation. Being a member of Team Arrow essentially mandated that you be in reach at a moment's notice, so Felicity always seemed to have her phone stealthily hidden away for emergencies. Felicity slyly slid the phone from the table top in front of her and into her lap and glanced at the screen.

She could feel the blood drain from her face as she saw the four short words from John displayed on the small screen before her.

John Diggle: _911- It is Oliver._

Felicity was vaguely aware of Ray having resumed their discussion with Mister Hitachi, but she could not seem to muster any sort of investment in their negotiations anymore. Dread pooled in her heart and she felt a surge of anxiety. Something was wrong. Oliver was in danger. Felicity had to get to the lair as quickly as possible.

Felicity endeavored to hide the panic she felt from her face and leaned over to Ray. "I have to go. It's an emergency," she whispered, her voice harsh with nerves.

Ray turned away from the television screen displaying the room of businesspeople in Japan and faced Felicity. She saw his eyes scrutinize her face for mere seconds. She could tell that despite her efforts at suppressing the fear that had seized her, Ray saw the battle that raged within her.

"Is there anything I can do?" Ray asked as his eyes probed Felicity's. Felicity could tell by the tone of his voice that Ray did not wonder if he could help in some sort of regular I-want-to-help-a-friend-in-distress way. He must have deduced on his own that Felicity's concern had something to do with Oliver being the Arrow and was wondering if there was something he could do in capacity as the A.T.O.M. Felicity didn't know whether to feel irritated or grateful for this. The only emotion she seemed to be able to identify feeling right now was concern.

Felicity gave a small shake of her head in reply to his question. She really didn't know if she had the ability to speak and maintain any restraint on her tumultuous emotions. Ray gave a hesitant nod in acknowledgement to her refusal but seemed less than thrilled at Felicity's non-verbal decline.

Felicity quickly stood and grabbed her cell phone, purse, and tablet roughly from the table near her. She turned to exit the room without so much as a farewell or polite bow, not sparing a backward glance to the television screen housing the businesspeople across the world that could decide Palmer Tech's fate. Felicity pulled open the door and flung herself out of the conference room, abandoning the room full of people behind her.

Felicity couldn't even bring herself to care if her abrupt and rude actions sabotaged their deal. Oliver was more important.

"I'm sorry but Miss Smoak has had…" Felicity heard Ray start as the office door closed behind her. Hopefully Ray could undo whatever damage her hasty exit would do. Oliver took priority.

Felicity slammed her index finger onto the button to summon an elevator down the hall from the conference room. She steadied her breathing and pulled up her courage as she impatiently waited for the elevator to arrive. She knew it was time to get to work. Whatever she found when she got to the bunker, she would be ready. Whatever was happening, Felicity would never lose Oliver again. No matter what.

 *****F/N:** Before you think _well, nothing happened in this chapter_ , know that this chapter set up things that are to come.


	27. Chapter 27

*****A/N:** I tried to keep the tension up in this. I don't know if I succeeded though.

 _Chapter 27_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver forced his eyelids shut, trying fiercely to battle the throbbing pain that reverberated into his eye from the back of his skull. Whatever had been used to strike him in the back of the head and render him unconscious had obviously done some sort of damage. Pushing aside the fogginess in his mind, he decided to keep his eyes closed for the time being. He wanted to gather his thoughts and assess his environment without detection. He was already certain that he had been captured by the League of Assassins. Oliver knew the longer his regained consciousness could remain unnoticed, the more likely he was going to be able to use his sly detective work to find a way to escape. He was aware that if his plan for infiltrating the League was to going to succeed that he would likely need to stay where he was, but having a contingency plan was never a bad idea. Oliver knew it always paid to be prepared for a quick escape whenever possible, because one never knew when one would need to utilize it.

Oliver fought to keep his face smooth and his breathing unchanged in order to still appear dead to his surroundings. He concentrated as devoutly as he could. Oliver could feel the cold, unforgiving ground beneath him. It was synthetically smooth, so Oliver was positive he had been moved from his previous location at the power plant while he was unconscious. His hearing remained somewhat muted, undoubtedly as a repercussion from his blow to his head, but he could still hear a deep rumbling around him. The sound seemed to resonate in the environment about him so he deduced that he was fully enclosed in a spacious, relatively empty area. The vibration that pulsed in the air echoed on the floor beneath him. It told him that wherever he was, the place he occupied was moving.

Oliver didn't ever feel the floor beneath his prostrate body give way to a dip or rise with a bump, so he had successfully ruled out being transported by car. Still, he felt like he was missing something. The smoothness of the movement around him also ruled out boat or traditional locomotive travel. It was only after dragging another measured breath into his lungs that Oliver finally realized that the air he methodically pulled in and out of his body felt wrong. The air felt thin, inefficient, and somehow pressurized. That revelation left him with one terrifying conclusion.

Oliver cautiously opened his eyes. His vision blurred momentarily but his surroundings slowly came into focus. It was precisely as he had feared. He was lying on the floor of what was undoubtedly a medium-sized cargo plane. League members lined the wall across from and next to him, each one buckled into seats attached to the plane's sides. All of the Assassins had dispensed with their hoods, revealing their faces fully to Oliver.

Oliver suppressed the relief he felt from showing on his face when he saw Maseo not far away across from him. Oliver was grateful to know he had at least one ally in the plane should something disastrous happen. Oliver's mood immediately soured when his eyes grazed across another familiar face.

It was his freckled brunette waitress from Big Belly Burger. The League had obviously been watching him more than he thought. Apparently Maseo had not been the only advanced guard Ra's al Ghul had sent to the city. A frown pulled at Oliver's mouth. The buxom woman had played her part well. He had seen her as nothing more than a vapid waitress wishing to capture the rich playboy. Oliver had seen the woman in Big Belly Burger a couple of times and never had his suspicions been aroused. If she had been placed that close to him, Oliver knew there had to be other sentries in reserve as well. There simply had to be other members of the League of Assassins watching Team Arrow and Thea. Were those League members still in place, lying in wait in Starling City around the ones Oliver loved, or had they been recalled and were sitting here on a plane with him now? Oliver internally chastised himself. He knew it was naïve to think that the other League members that were undoubtedly stationed in Starling would have been summoned back by Ra's al Ghul.

Oliver pushed down the fear and anger that washed over him. He was no longer feigning unconsciousness but he was still cautious with his movements. He flinched as he raised his cheek up off the cool metal floor of the plane. A wave of vertigo swept him up and he hissed quietly as the pounding in his head reached a fever pitch with his shifting. Neurologically, Oliver felt okay but he still nursed a suspicion that he had a mild concussion. _Oh well_ , he thought, _it is not as if I have not had a concussion before_.

"Mister Queen," Oliver heard Ra's al Ghul deep voice call from the head of the plane near the cockpit. Ra's stood resolutely with his hands clasped together behind his back. Oliver considered it strange that all the warriors around him sat fixed and buckled securely in their seats while their leader recklessly stood in the cargo plane's middle isle in nothing but his heavy robes. Ra's seemed perfectly content with being as unprotected as he was. Somehow his comfort in his situation made Oliver uneasy. It seemed to Oliver that the Demon's Head's attitude conveyed something more than a lack of a fear of death. There was something there. Something that Oliver suspected gave Ra's al Ghul confidence that anything going wrong on the plane could not result in his death. Oliver had no idea why he felt that way, but Oliver had learned ages ago that intuition could be deadly when ignored.

Oliver slowly began pulling himself up into a seated position. There was no longer any point to feigning unconsciousness to try to develop an escape plan. Unless he wanted to fall to his death, it was useless to have a contingency plan in his situation.

As Oliver reached a full and upright sitting position, he stretched his stiff legs out in front of him. While moving his legs, Oliver felt a suspicious lightness in his boot. He knew immediately that the tracking device that had been concealed in the heel of his boot had been removed. _Shit,_ he thought. This was an unwelcome development. He then noticed his weaponry had been removed from him and currently lay somewhat near the feet of Ra's al Ghul at the head of the plane yards away. Oliver's position just seemed to get worse and worse.

As Oliver shifted his weight into a more comfortable position, he felt something heavy on his back. He thought it felt similar to a backpack. He knew it was conspicuous to turn around and look at what was placed on him, but he couldn't help it. His hunch was confirmed when he turned to find a parachute strapped to his back and across his chest. He was at least comforted by the knowledge that if he had to jump from the plane- or was sucked out of it- he would not plummet to his death. He had parachuted from a plane before, after all. He could only hope that if worse came to worse and he ended up having to endure that, that he would not end up somewhere in the middle of the ocean. Oliver had survived much in his life, but he knew for certain that he could not survive being stranded in the middle of the ocean without assistance while being dragged down by a parachute.

Oliver turned back around to face Ra's. Oliver did his best to conceal from his face the pain he felt pounding through his head. He tried to look confident and unfazed by the unforeseen circumstance he found himself in. "Where the hell are you taking me?" Oliver snapped.

"To your future home, Mister Queen," Ra's al Ghul replied in an optimistic voice.

"I told you, fuck your offer. Take me back," Oliver tried to make his voice as sure and commanding as possible. He knew not displaying some sort of reticence now would lead to suspicion of his motives and thereafter his plan's failure.

"Nanda Parbatt shall bring you the serenity your soul desires. Becoming Wareeth al Ghul will give you true and everlasting purpose," the Demon's Head assured Oliver. Out of the corner of his eye, Oliver could see the warriors of the League of Assassins gazing with awe at Ra's as he spoke. Even Maseo's eyes watched their leader attentively, though Maseo's eyes seemed to lack the commitment that Oliver saw reflected in the eyes of the other League members around him. The buxom brunette's response to Ra's al Ghul's words, however, almost frightened Oliver. There was a fierce fervor and passion on her face that surpassed all the others. It was intimidating to behold. Oliver could only guess the terrifying lengths that particular Assassin would go to in order to protect Ra's al Ghul.

Oliver elected not to respond to Ra's al Ghul's assertion, instead simulating a look of contemplation and remained quiet along with the plane's other passengers. Oliver would need to leave leeway from his many protestations to make his eventual approval understandable. It would need to appear like at some point he was at least intrigued by the idea of finding fulfillment in the League.

After what felt like countless hours, Oliver felt the plane start to descend. The area of the aircraft they occupied was windowless, but he could tell they were finally landing. Oliver guessed that they had been in the air at least half a day judging by how tired he was. The fact that his bladder was about to burst also gave him an idea of how long they had been flying. Unfortunately, those insights did not truly provide Oliver with any certainty about where they were exactly. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious before awaking on the traveling aircraft. Oliver wasn't sure whether he had been knocked out for hours or mere minutes. The difference between the two options could leave him in an entirely different part of the globe. Plus, for all he knew, the plane could have been widely circling in the air for hours as a means of misdirection.

Oliver felt the large plane jolt forward as it made rough contact with the ground as it landed. The plane shuddered aggressively as it slowed. When the aircraft came to an abrupt halt, all the League members unbuckled from their seats and rose to their feet quickly. The rear door to the plane opened noisily. The ramp lowered to the ground and Oliver watched the Assassins exit the plane into the blindingly bright area around them. He saw Maseo a ways ahead of him about to disembark the plane with Oliver's weaponry and Arrow mask in hand. Oliver was glad to know his essentials were not being abandoned to be lost forever.

Oliver started to make his way off his position on the floor as the plane continued to empty of the many warriors in it. But before Oliver could completely stand, he was aggressively yanked to a full standing position by the collar of his Arrow suit by a large man standing directly to his left. The freckled woman he had encountered in Starling City moved swiftly toward him from across the plane. Her face was expressionless but Oliver still made ready to defend himself from the intimidating woman. Surprisingly, she merely reached forward and roughly undid the buckles to his parachute, finally ripping the pack from his body.

"Move," she said in a gruff voice.

Oliver planted his feet firmly. He was not going to give this woman the satisfaction of bossing him around. If he was indeed going to claim the mantle of their future leader, it would not do to start his reign off as being a bullied prisoner.

"Alhami," Ra's al Ghul chastised from behind them. The woman looked back at the Demon's Head and nodded in submission. She hid her subsequent glare from Ra's as she and her fellow warrior removed themselves from Oliver's side to disembark the plane with the rest of the League.

Ra's al Ghul took several paces forward toward the exit of the plane. Oliver stayed immobile where he was. He wanted to make sure his actions suggested to Ra's and the rest of the League that he was independent and would not simply surrender to their wills.

"Come, Mister Queen," Ra's said, somehow managing to convey his threat with just one word.

Oliver made sure to pause momentarily as if he were considering disobeying the instruction. Oliver knew that from here on out he must be on his guard constantly. He must never slip from playing his part or it would undoubtedly lead to his death. Oliver stepped forward, doing his best to radiate confidence and exited the plane side by side with Ra's al Ghul.

As soon as their leader's feet touched the ground, the League members started walking ahead a short distance away from Oliver and the Demon's Head. He noticed they stayed in regimented sections, moving in complete unison with their hands on their weapons. Oliver grudgingly had to admit that their training was impressive. They were more than a legion. It was like they were a single entity.

Oliver noticed that the freckled woman, whom he had just discovered was named Alhami, and Maseo lingered near the back of the group of warriors. Oliver was sure that the woman's desire to remain close to him and Ra's al Ghul came from a place of wanting to protect her leader from Oliver. Alhami was definitely going to be a problem. Oliver sincerely hoped that Maseo would have some insight on how to quell her.

As Oliver stepped away from the plane, he examined the expansive view around him. The weather was stiflingly hot. He had been completely outside mere moments and he already desired to strip off his suit. The Sun hung high in the cloudless sky. Oliver guessed that it was about 3 PM judging by the Sun's position, though he wasn't sure what day it was in this mysterious region.

He was stunned by the tiny airstrip the large silver plane had managed to land at. When looking at his surroundings, Oliver was hardly surprised the landing area was unpaved. This was most definitely an unsanctioned landing site.

The terrain before Oliver seemed to go on endlessly. Stretched before him was flat, barren ground. The only vegetation he could see was dead or dying weeds and bushes. The air was dry and earth completely composed of arid dirt. Still, in the far off distance, Oliver could spy looming mountains directly ahead of them. He thought he could maybe see that the tops of the mountains were snowcapped, but he was unsure being this far out from them.

Oliver mourned that the scenery around him did not provide any landmarks or guidelines that could give him more than a mere hint of where he might be. He guessed that he was somewhere in the Middle East but with nothing more than an unknown mountain range to go off of, Oliver was flying blind. He could only hope that at some point during their travels to wherever the League was taking him, Oliver would see or hear something that would lead him to the knowledge of Nanda Parbatt's precise location. Any information would be helpful when trying to get a message out to his loved ones in Starling City.

Ra's al Ghul strode a few steps ahead of Oliver as he followed the warriors in his command into the wilds beyond them. Oliver quickly walked forward in order to remain in step with the Demon's Head. In his heart, Oliver felt no desire to find reason within the League of Assassins. He had all the purpose and joy he needed back in his life in Starling City. Still, he knew that he needed to be here. He would do whatever he had to in order to fulfill his purpose and protect the people in Starling that supplied his motivation. He would do anything to protect the people and the city that he loved.

 *****F/N:** Here is one innocuous thing addressed that was set up in previous chapter. There is still more to come. Side note: I know we found out how Oliver knows how to fly a plane in season 5, but how the heck did Oliver learn to beat a polygraph? He beat one in season 1 and having that still unexplained is eating at my brain. I'm assuming it has something to do with A.R.G.U.S but I still want details! There are so many unanswered questions still!


	28. Chapter 28

*****A/N:** My brain decided it wanted to write the next chapter out of order, resulting in chapter 28's delay. I do not know why my mind became obsessed with writing what I think will end up being chapter 32, but it did. I hope the long wait for this was not too frustrating for you all.

 _Chapter 28_

 **~`*`~ Felicity ~`*`~**

"What?!" Felicity yelled as her eyes whipped accusatory glares around the group in front of her.

"Don't look at me. I just got here," Laurel said with her hands raised in front of her body defensively.

"Felicity, Oliver's orders…" Diggle started hesitantly.

"You disobey Oliver's orders all the time! Do _not_ blame him for this," Felicity interrupted before Dig could finish his excuse. Felicity was hurt and angry that the people she trusted had intentionally left her out of a crisis, thereby leaving Oliver's safety hanging in the balance. "We will finish this discussion later. This is the part where you tell me everything we know and I save our asses." She dashed to the lair's computer station and settled herself in her rolling chair, resting her fingers on the home keys on the keyboard in front of her.

Felicity's condemnation had momentarily silenced the group around her. Roy stood rigid in his Arsenal gear nearby. His arms were folded across his chest and he still refused to meet Felicity's gaze. Laurel seemed to be clinging with unnecessary force to the duffle bag she had slung over her shoulder. Felicity guessed Laurel's pose was some sort of unconscious attempt at self-soothing. Laurel obviously feared for Oliver's safety like the rest of them. Diggle's eyes revealed his reticence as he came to a standstill at Felicity's side. Dig directed his attention to the computer monitor in front of Felicity. She could see from John's face and posture that he still felt guilty for keeping her in the dark about Oliver's patrol and near immediate disappearance, but was determined to keep his feelings in check.

"The Department of Water and Power plant is his last known," Dig said as he pointed to its location on the map up on her computer monitor. "His coms and GPS tracker went dark two hours ago. There are no readings from the entire area. There must be some sort of scrambling technology at play," John finished.

Felicity's fingers flurried across the keyboard in front of her. Her drive to find anything to lead them to Oliver burned through her like adrenaline. After a few simple commands and clicks, Felicity's screen displayed some information that looked relevant. "The Fire Department communications detail the smoke at the plant vanishing as soon as they put out the apartment complex on Balsam Street. When they arrived at the plant, there was no trace of anything having burnt. Literally zero evidence. The S.C.F.D and S.C.P.D left the site less than half an hour ago," Felicity informed the group.

"There's no mention of Oliver in the report?" Laurel asked from her station nearby.

"None," Felicity responded morosely. Felicity turned to look at Laurel and found the same fear she felt reflected back in Laurel's eyes.

"We should still go check out the plant. Maybe Oliver was downed somewhere they didn't look," Roy chimed from next to the weapons cabinet. Felicity suppressed a sarcastic reply to his suggestion.

"I'll suit up and Roy and I will check out the plant. Felicity, can you hack into the traffic cameras near the plant?" Diggle asked.

"Will you guys ever stop asking me that?" Felicity snapped in annoyance. Her tolerance was thin with the stress of Oliver missing. Felicity expertly pulled up her cataloged root kits and got to work on accessing the traffic cameras they needed feeds from.

"Okay," Diggle said apologetically. "Keep a look out for anything unusual on the footage. Roy and I will head to the plant. We'll be on coms," Diggle informed.

"We don't know what took out Oliver's signal. If there is some kind of tech in play, your communications could go down as soon as you reach the plant," Felicity reminded Diggle glancing towards a ready Roy behind him.

"It's a risk we are going to have to take," Dig countered.

"Can you look for any signals or anything coming from the plant? Anything you think might be causing the interference?" Roy asked in a voice Felicity was sure was supposed to portray confidence.

If Felicity had not known their group so well, she would have assumed that Dig and Roy were positive about the situation they were heading into and their chances of retrieving Oliver safely. In reality, she knew they were doing their warrior standard of "suppress the emotions and get to work." They would deal with the fallout of their inaction later.

"I already gained access to Palmer Tech's radio systems when we were looking for Shrapnel's bomb. I can rig the PT stations to widen the scan type search. If I can look for more signal types, we may find something causing the disruption," Felicity assured Dig and Roy.

"Good. Get to work," Diggle commanded as he pulled on the remainder of his gear.

"What about me?" Laurel asked, unable to hide her frustration. "You cannot just expect me to stay here and do nothing."

Felicity looked at Diggle with significance. He looked torn for a brief moment. After a soft sigh, John started, "Oliver would…"

"Oh my god! Suit up, Laurel," Felicity cut off Dig with a yell. John looked at Felicity with concern in his eyes. "What? Laurel can handle herself and we can use all the help we can get," Felicity rebutted his silent rebuke.

"Fine, but you remain on base for now. Stay on coms," John acquiesced to Laurel, but the timbre of his tone made it clear that he was not entirely on board with the plan and should not be trifled with.

A slightly satisfied look blossomed on Laurel's face and she hitched her duffle bag higher on her shoulder. Laurel gave Felicity a swift nod of gratitude. Laurel walked quickly to the lair's bunk area to change into her Black Canary gear, which was undoubtedly residing in the duffle bag she carried. Felicity knew that her endorsing Laurel to join them on patrol would anger Oliver to no end when he found out, but Felicity did not care. Laurel was a grown woman who could make her own decisions. Having any version of the Black Canary in their corner could mean them finding Oliver sooner rather than later, and that possibility made the risk entirely worthwhile in her mind.

Felicity pushed a com receiver into her ear and pulled herself closer to her array of computers. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Diggle and Roy suited up and moving to exit the lair through the secret side exit. After checking the alley's security camera feed, Felicity confirmed to the men that their way was clear. A quick audio check was done to make sure everyone's coms were functioning. They could only hope that they would not lose communications during the mission despite Oliver's previous communications failure.

For a solitary moment, the air seemed to thin and everything froze. No one said "good luck". Roy's face was set determinedly as he stood behind Dig. Hand on the exit's doorknob; John turned to Felicity before the two men left the bunker. "We will find him, Felicity," Diggle said.

Felicity wanted more than anything to believe Dig but not only did his voice reveal his true misgivings about their chances, but Felicity knew the reality of Oliver's situation. Oliver had been missing for hours. At best, Oliver was trapped or incapacitated somewhere. Felicity refused to even consider the worst possibility. Dig, Roy, and Felicity merely exchanged nods of acknowledgement in reply. The door closed loudly behind Arsenal and Diggle as they removed themselves from the lair.

Felicity's mind and fingers flew like lightning. She tuned out Laurel, who she could feel standing at her side a few moments later. Felicity needed all her concentration to battle the anxiety she felt. She knew that focusing on her task at hand would help her fear subside, but the knowledge that Oliver had been missing for hours still hung over her like a cloud.

Felicity decided to start her part of the operation with an assessment of the signals in the area of the Department of Water and Power Plant. Felicity was grateful her burden was lessened because she had already infiltrated Palmer Technologies' radio towers days earlier. Any moments she was spared from having to hack something new were moments she could spend searching for Oliver.

Felicity pulled up P.T's scanners, setting the widest parameters for signals possible. The easiest way to check if the plant currently had any impeding technology being deployed at it would be to go there and test it, but that was a risk Felicity did not want to take unless absolutely necessary.

The next easiest way to look at the surroundings would be to attempt to access any cameras or footage in the plant. Felicity had tried that, only to find the cameras registered as offline. She could not ascertain whether that was due to some sort of interfering tech or another reason, but she had to continue to try to get confirmation for their failure.

Felicity normally would have moved a close by satellite into position over the plant to test the ability to observe the area that way, but the closest satellite's orbit would still take it an hour to get into position near Starling City, and yet even more time to hack the satellite in the first place. That was not time she could waste.

Palmer Technologies system's inspection of the signals emanating from the area in and around the Department of Water and Power plant seemed to be taking an agonizing amount of time. It was like the Universe was stretching out the length of time to make them all suffer longer. Felicity knew that only a few minutes had passed, but it felt like an hour.

Her heart surged forward when her computer registered a soft chime, indicating its task was complete. Felicity had been obsessively staring at the screen in front of her and nervously chewing on a pen, completely ready to interpret the station's analysis at a moment's notice. Laurel flew to her side in an attempt to see the information displayed on it with her own eyes. A graph appeared on the monitor in front of them both.

 **Radius Frequency Analysis:**

88 MHz-108 MHz _-92%_

520 KHz-1710 KHz _-6%_

26.965 MHz-27.185 _-2%_

 **No anomalous frequency detections**

"What does that mean?" Laurel asked Felicity.

"It means that there are no foreign signals coming from the plant that could shield our communications," Felicity breathed. She could not deny the momentary feeling of relief this information gave her. Their chances of Diggle and Roy's coms and GPS' going down upon reaching the plant were now remote. Short of an electromagnetic pulse, Felicity believed them to be in the clear.

Felicity gave a quick verbal update to Roy and Diggle over the coms, telling them they should not lose communications capability upon reaching the plant. The boys were still over five minutes out from the power plant and were reassured at the news.

Felicity could see Laurel pacing with her arms folded tightly across her chest nearby. It was beyond annoying for Felicity, but Felicity had to allow Laurel some sort of outlet to vent her anxiety. Laurel could not do anything to help at the moment with the restrictions she had been given. Felicity knew the helplessness that came along with having the knowledge that you should help, but that you are unable to.

Having eliminated the possibility of a signal interfering with Team Arrow's communications, Felicity moved on to the examination of the traffic cameras and security footage near the power plant. The information was easy to access. Not only had the practice become second nature to Felicity, but the cyber security for Starling City and its businesses' systems were almost criminally lax. Felicity rolled back the time stamp on the footage from the plant's area and could find almost nothing. A total of seven cars moved through the region starting from two hours before Oliver arrived at the power plant until that very moment. Felicity automatically scanned each vehicle's information and their occupants against the multitude of databases she had already infiltrated. Her searches revealed nothing suspicious. One car's license plate had expired and one passenger had a warrant out for his arrest for unpaid parking tickets, but that was the worst information to register from Felicity's fast-tracked assessment. The recordings seemed to be a complete waste of time.

The traffic and security cameras leading to no information left Felicity feeling desperate. She would have been pleased with even the tiniest spark of a lead. It was what she needed. Felicity would simply have to hold out hope that Oliver was still at the plant itself, just out of view of the cameras. Still, she knew the likelihood of that being the case was virtually nonexistent.

Felicity's heart told her that the League was somehow behind this. There was simply no other explanation that made sense. Assuming that was accurate, the lack of any visual clues as to Oliver or the League's whereabouts made sense. The League of Assassins was more than capable of training its followers to easily avoid detection.

In spite of the two men's mishandling of the crisis initially, Felicity would not rather anyone else on the planet searching for Oliver than their little Team Arrow group.

"Felicity, come in," Diggle sounded on the other end of their coms.

"Read you loud and clear, Dig. Arsenal?" Felicity replied reassured.

"Got ya, Felicity. We know why the cameras are down. Every single one is smashed to pieces," Roy replied.

Felicity nodded to herself. "That makes sense. Do you see a receiver anywhere? It would look similar to a fuse box. Probably underneath one of the cameras," Felicity asked hopefully. If they could get some footage of the plant, even from another day, it might lead to some clues.

"Found it. It is completely destroyed. All the wires are ripped out and there's an empty space," Roy responded.

"That's got to be where the hard drive was. Whoever was here with Oliver must have taken it. There's no way to get security footage without it," Felicity replied, utterly frustrated.

"Okay. Starting search now. Keep on coms," Dig informed.

"Copy that," Felicity said.

After a few minutes, Roy's voice came in over the com, "The fire department was right. No sign of any fire. What about the East side, Dig?"

"Absolutely nothing. It does not even smell like smoke," Diggle responded.

"How is that possible? It was a cloud of smoke less than two hours ago," Laurel questioned through her earpiece.

"I can smell a little bit of the fire on Balsam, but nothing like a fire here," Roy replied.

"Keep looking. Watch your six, Arsenal," Diggle said.

"Roger that," Roy ended.

The silence seemed to stretch on and on. Roy and Diggle's coms and GPS tracking devices continued registering as active and working, but that did not stop Felicity from worrying that their communications and monitoring would spontaneously die. They had been at the plant over half an hour. Felicity knew it was a large place, but not knowing what was going on was killing her. Laurel was so tense she looked like a cat about to jump out of its skin at the slightest provocation. Felicity was sure she looked pretty wild herself.

Felicity could not take it anymore. "John? Arsenal? Check in for crying out loud," Felicity implored with a raised voice.

Dig was the first to voice a reply, "Arsenal, anything on the West end?"

"No. He isn't here. It doesn't look like anyone was ever here," Roy admitted. Concern and confusion laced his voice.

"Nothing on the West either. Felicity, the he is not here," Dig said gently.

Felicity felt utterly numb. Diggle's words refused to register in her mind. They just floated around like some sort of abstract phrase or gibberish. Felicity could not make sense of Oliver not being at the plant.

"What should I do?" Laurel asked. Laurel's entire body was tight with angst. She had stopped her pacing and stood still as a statue, her fingers unconsciously gripping her hips firmly with nervousness.

"Stay there. Arsenal and I are headed back to base. We need to come up with a strategy," John ordered.

Felicity watched Laurel's face harden. Laurel did not want to wait to make plans. Felicity could see Laurel's long for action in her eyes. She would not be satisfied with not being in the field any longer.

 _Oliver will not like this_. _He will be unbearable about it when he gets back,_ Felicity thought. With that realization, Felicity's brain slowly clicked into place, fully comprehending what was occurring around her. In order for Oliver to be coming back, that meant that Oliver had to be away in the first place. Oliver had been taken. Oliver had completely vanished and she had no leads as to his whereabouts or his condition.

She had lost Oliver again.

 *****F/N:** I had a rather upsetting experience the other night. I am trying to not let it get to me emotionally, but it has been hard to get out of my thoughts. I hope this chapter did not get overly emotional as a result.


	29. Chapter 29

*****A/N:** I am so sorry this took so insanely long to write. I have a degenerative neuromuscular disease and have been relapsing, so I have been feeling really poorly. My brain really did not want to write this chapter in the slightest, so I hope it is bearable. I am fairly sure it is awful, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances. I noticed a million errors in chapters 25-28, so I took a few minutes to edit them. Hopefully they are better now. Go back and read them again if you are really invested.

Otherwise, welcome to Nanda Parbat (finally), everyone.

 _Chapter 29_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Exhaustion was beginning to weigh on Oliver. He estimated their group had been walking eastward for approximately 20 miles over a period of almost 5 hours. The Sun had traveled through the sky in progress with their trek and was finally setting behind the mountains at their front.

Oliver was grateful to no longer be stiflingly hot after the Sun's descent. In fact, he was becoming cold despite the protection provided by the Kevlar woven fabric of his Arrow suit. It was a different kind of chill than he was used to. The mild humidity that hung in Starling City's air was completely absent from wherever Oliver currently found himself. The air was dry and almost felt rough against his lungs despite its coolness.

After marching for hours through the barren landscape, Oliver could finally see definitively that some of the mountains they approached were snow-peaked. He wondered why the plane that brought them from Starling City to whatever country they were currently in had landed so far away from the large mountain range he and the contingent of League of Assassins were moving towards.

Oliver was relieved that Ra's al Ghul seemed to be content to walk most of their journey in silence. Oliver was glad he did not have to endure whatever would have passed for conversation with the Demon's Head quite yet. Surely communication between the two of them was unwise unless necessitated by Oliver's plan. Oliver was frankly surprised that Ra's had not spent the entirety of their crossing trying to sell Oliver on the merits of becoming the future leader of the League of Assassins. The fact that Ra's had not made further attempts at persuading Oliver from his perceived state of denial made Oliver positive that something was coming. Ra's al Ghul was sure to arrange some sort display of power or station upon their reaching Nanda Parbat in order to sway Oliver. He would need to be ready for whatever it was.

Not only was Oliver determined not to give Ra's al Ghul any ammunition to suspect he had anything but innocent intentions going into Nanda Parbat, but Oliver wanted to refrain from engendering any more mistrust among the members of the League of Assassins that surrounded him as they journeyed.

Maseo stayed slightly ahead of Oliver, towing Oliver's Arrow weaponry as the League's leader and Oliver continued their side-by-side march with the group. Oliver was appreciative that Maseo remained nearby. Knowing that he was literally surrounded on all sides by enemies in an unknown desert terrain was not exactly encouraging Oliver to be optimistic about his upcoming plans in Nanda Parbat. In addition, the female assassin, Alhami, who had been spying on Oliver in Starling City, stayed obsessively concentrated on Oliver. She maintained her position walking in-step with Maseo, but she was constantly glancing back at Oliver with scrutiny in her dark eyes. Even when she was not eyeing Oliver with blatant suspicion, her body seemed to subconsciously lean towards Oliver as if she were preparing herself to strike him down at any moment for attacking her master. Oliver grew more and more aggravated by her behavior as their journey continued. Her immediate distrust was going to be a problem. Hopefully her mindset about Oliver would not infect others, Ra's al Ghul in particular. For Oliver's plan to dismantle the League to succeed, he would need to be seen as trustworthy by everyone. He could not afford Alhami's suspicions to be allowed to poison the League's views on him.

Oliver began to see a strange light emanating from the front of the group of warriors surrounding him. The source of the light was obscured by a hill before them. Their atmosphere had never been overly dark after the Sun had set thanks to a full moon hung low in the sky, but Oliver could tell the light source they were moving towards was man-made. The warm and shifting look of the glow lead him to guess it was firelight. Hills and mountains loomed all around them now, and Oliver suspected that the light meant they were finally nearing the end of their journey.

As Oliver approached the hill, he noticed the League's warriors begin to shift and fan out from their positions encircling Oliver and Ra's al Ghul. The group no longer walked spaced tightly together, but still remained moving in unison and regimented. Oliver was certain they had arrived.

Oliver's breath caught in his chest as he reached the peak of the hill. Below the gradual slope he stood on, lay one of the most impressive and intimidating sights he had ever seen- and Oliver had seen some amazing things in his life.

Oliver's fight or flight instinct kicked in, forcing him to battle the involuntary anxiety that fought its way up his throat. He knew this was Ra's al Ghul's intention behind the demonstration before him. Ra's meant for Oliver to be impressed, afraid, or even awed by what lay ahead of them and Oliver tried as hard as possible not to give the Demon's Head the satisfaction of seeing he had succeeded in his objective. Oliver was not sure he was able to keep his eyes as neutral as he would have wanted. He fought to keep his face displaying only surprise, as he could feel Ra's scrutinizing his face for Oliver's reaction to the sight before them both.

An army lay in the expansive desert grounding the mountain in front of Oliver. "Army" was truly the only word Oliver could think of to describe what he was seeing. There were easily 200 fighters, each ready in regimented sections, waiting for Oliver and their leader to finish their approach. The warriors never moved a muscle, only stood patiently at attention, awaiting their master's commands.

Oliver watched as the League of Assassins members that had been marching with him and Ra's al Ghul's from the airstrip made to join their waiting fellows. Oliver was effectively frozen in place. Ra's had uttered no instructions, yet the warriors knew precisely what to do. They moved almost as if one organism to take their places with the previously ready assassins. The whole routine was both breathtaking and intimidating.

Ra's al Ghul finally started his descent from where he had been standing stationary at Oliver's side at the top of the small hill. The two men slowly walked down together in silence. Oliver was forcing one foot in front of the other. He longed to be back in Starling City and away from this place. Ra's al Ghul walked onward with powerful strides and his hands confidently clasped behind his back. Any time Oliver could pry his eyes away from the army of League disciples before him, he glanced at the Demon's Head's face. Oliver could practically feel the pride radiating off of Ra's al Ghul as they grew closer to his followers.

The two men came to a stop together, finally on equal ground with the black-clad fighters. The group of warriors continued to remain stationary as Oliver and Ra's faced them.

Ra's al Ghul barked out something Oliver did not understand in Arabic to the mass of people in front of them. His voice seemed to echo in the mountains around them. With their master's call the group parted, revealing a new strip of empty space for Oliver and Ra's to walk down together. The unity and speed in which the League of Assassins followed their leader's orders would be the envy of any military on Earth. Oliver had never witnessed discipline remotely like it, and he knew some extraordinarily disciplined people. Oliver could almost feel all of them breathing in unison.

Oliver had been so engrossed by the sea of combatants in front of him that he had not even begun to notice his physical surroundings. When the fighters stilled, Oliver allowed his eyes to trail over his environment.

Nanda Parbat.

Even after failing every architecture and art history course he had taken at the many universities he had attended once upon a time, Oliver could tell the building that lay before him was something unique. The structure seemed to somehow be carved into the mountain. Its edifice was made up of seemingly ancient columns and domes. Despite its obvious age, it was still physically foreboding and sturdy. It was almost as if the massive building had been magically spared from some of the ravaging effects of time. It screamed use as a functional fortress, but it still claimed a stark beauty that did not often go hand-in-hand with its obvious purpose. The area itself was lit by flaming pillars and torches, giving the building an eerie, unwelcoming glow. The whole area was akin to something Oliver would have imagined after hearing a fantasy tale as a child.

"Welcome to your new home, Mr. Queen," Ra's al Ghul said with sweeping authority, and a small gesture to the sea of Assassins and the enormous fortress before them.

Oliver could feel his heart beating a tattoo on the inside of his chest as he and Ra's started through the pathway of disciples toward the League's stronghold. All Oliver could do is march toward his destiny with Ra's and pray his and Maseo's plans did not go awry. He hoped beyond all hope that he could gain Ra's al Ghul's trust and avoid suspicion from the rest of the League. He was not overly optimistic that Nyssa would, at the very least, not sabotage his efforts at dismantling her father's reign.

Despite his misgivings, he knew he no longer had a choice. This was it. Oliver knew there was no turning back now. From here on out he would do anything and become anyone in order to protect his city. To protect the city and people he loved.

Felicity. Thea. Diggle. Laurel. Roy. He would keep them squirreled away in a secret chamber in his heart. His memories of them would be a talisman to give him strength to get through this ordeal. If this mission could mean his death, he would have them with him until the very end. He would sacrifice anything in order to end the threat of the League to keep them safe.

 *****F/N:** I started a Twitter account for fan-fiction and only fan-fiction. It's slayerchick303 if any of you are interested in keeping up with my stories or recommending stories to me.


	30. Chapter 30

*****A/N:** Those of you who follow my fan-fiction Twitter ( slayerchick303) know things have been pretty horrible lately. My service dog, Emmett, broke my external hard drive that I had my fan-fictions stored on it and it took 8 weeks to fix, so I didn't have access to any of my fan-fictions. Shortly after that, my service dog had to have emergency surgery. His recovery went terribly. I immediately got really sick after his surgery. Once I was better, Emmett had complications that required him to have multiple doctor visits in order to prevent having _another_ operation. To make things even worse, my senior citizen mother was robbed at gunpoint in the middle of the night and is now suffering from PTSD. Plus, I've been struggling with depression pretty severely and my neuromuscular disease progression has accelerated. Obviously, everything has been pretty terrible. That's why there was such an enormous delay in the update. I hope you all understand.

That being said, I did write not only this chapter, but also what I think will be chapters 33 and 34 in the meantime. Hopefully that'll progress things forward quicker to make up for the huge delay in updating this story. I also started what could be a one-shot or a spin-off of this series. My brain wanted to write it, so I did so in the hopes it would eliminate my writer's block for this series.

 _Chapter 30_

 **~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver pulled an unsteady breath into his lungs as he walked through the enormous entryway into Nanda Parbat at Ra's al Ghul's side. In all his travels, Oliver had never seen anything quite like this building before. The walls appeared to be made out of limestone bricks. They kind of reminded him of the stones making up the great pyramids in Egypt. Only two things indicated to Oliver that this building was not as old as the tombs in Egypt: one was the relatively minimal erosion and abrasion to its surfaces; two was the stone archways that supported the ceiling. Oliver was fairly sure he recalled a teacher's aide he had slept with while attending Stanford saying that those types of arches were invented much later than the pyramids were built.

He could not help but be in awe of his surroundings. The torches on the walls seemed to give the walls themselves menacing movement. As if the walls were in reality stationary warriors, waiting for their command to attack. Still, the place held a stark beauty. Bejeweled chandeliers hung from the ceiling at frequent intervals. The fire flickering inside their colored ornaments brought some grandeur to the space.

It surprised Oliver to see that the ground beneath his feet was smooth and polished. Its surface shone even in the darkness. Oliver could not help but wonder about how it was constructed. He questioned how many people over how many years knelt with hand tools excavating and polishing the structure to its current state.

Oliver continued side-by-side with the Demon's Head through the hallway, drinking in everything around him. He could hear a mass of League of Assassins warriors following close behind them.

They arrived at the first fork in the walkway. Oliver could not help but look down it to see what lay at its end. At the end waited a large empty room. The only decoration to be found in it was a myriad of weapons hanging from the walls. As if to confirm Oliver's suspicion about the room's purpose, Ra's al Ghul called out an order to his warriors in Arabic. Oliver watched as 12 of the closest assassins to him filed into the room and began sparing.

Oliver observed mutely. He was striving to give Ra's no indication of what he was thinking. Begrudgingly, he admitted to himself that the group was comprised of skilled fighters.

Turning away from the room, Oliver noticed that other League members had stationed themselves as sentries in doorways or had proceeded down other hallways that Oliver could only just spy from where he stood.

No less than two hundred assassins had been outside waiting for his arrival. Oliver mused that Nanda Parbat surely had to be an enormous place to house them all. Oliver had to admit that his curiosity about his surroundings was peaked. He was certain there were many secrets to be uncovered in this mysterious, ancient fortress.

"Come, Mister Queen," instructed the middle-aged man at his side. Oliver saw what he thought to be triumph in the man's dark eyes. Clearly, Oliver seemed to be giving Ra's the impression that he was beginning to be won over by the idea of life in Nanda Parbat. Oliver had to admit that that was probably a good thing considering his plans for his time in Nanda Parbat. He straightened his expression to one of calculation and followed the leader onward.

Ra's marched straight down the hallway, passing a myriad of other passages. Oliver slowly pursued the robed man for minutes on end, neither of them speaking. Oliver would occasionally see the remaining warriors still following in his wake peel away down hallways- presumably to attend to whatever order Ra's al Ghul had given them earlier. It seemed that Oliver and Ra's were continuing their trek through Nanda Parbat alone.

Finally, Oliver saw the Demon's Head was making his way to a fearsome door ahead of them. The door was forged from solid wood and featured metal bars and spikes running all over its surface. The message the door gave was clear: _I guard something precious_. Oliver suddenly felt hesitant about following the League of Assassin's leader through it.

Oliver watched as the League sentry who guarded the door obligingly opened it for his master and Oliver. Ra's strode through it without a backward glance or word to Oliver. The atmosphere turned strange. It lent to the moment a feeling of ceremony. It made Oliver feel as though he was crossing both a physical and metaphorical threshold. Oliver avoided the gaze of the hooded guard and stepped into the room where the Demon's Head waited for him.

Nothing about the circular room seemed unremarkable to Oliver. It boasted the same metal torches as the other rooms and hallways he had already observed in the rest of the building, but that was virtually the only trait it shared with the rest of the fortress. The walls were rough and unshaped. It was if the room had at one time been a cave. The thing that shied Oliver away from that belief was the ceiling. It was tall and domed like those of the great churches in Italy he had visited with his family as a child. Stands holding bowls of fire and candles littered the room. It made Oliver feel like the place was almost religious in nature.

The thing Oliver chiefly noticed was a large stone dais took up a portion of the rear of the chamber. Oliver's eyes roamed over it, examining it further. It was not so much a dais as a pool. A pool filled with steaming, churning water. Oliver was confused how what appeared to be a hot spring could be found deep within the recesses of a mountain. He had never studied geology at university. Well, he had never actually attended the geology classes he signed up for. It did not seem possible for there to be a naturally occurring body of water this large this deep within an excavated mountain range. It seemed especially unlikely given the barren landscape Oliver had trekked through for hours to reach Nanda Parbat. It did not seem reasonable to Oliver that the water containment was somehow manmade either. Oliver could tell all of what he had seen from Nanda Parbat so far offered nothing in the means of electricity or modern technology. Those things would be the only way to heat such a large body of water so sheltered from the elements.

Oliver looked away from the water to see Ra's al Ghul standing at the pool's side. If the leader were so inclined, he could have reached his hand out and submerged it in the water by moving only inches. Oliver noted that Ra's al Ghul stood in front of a pair of stone stairs that ran up both sides of the pool so that one could easily submerge themselves in the waters fully. Like it was some sort of bizarre Jacuzzi.

Ra's glanced at the water then turned to face Oliver where he was still standing near the doorway to the room. Ra's eyes bored into Oliver's. Oliver saw something strange in them. The Demon's Head was normally somewhat inscrutable, but some of what Oliver spied looking back at him was easy to identify. Oliver could make out pride, but wondered if the second emotion he thought he viewed in the man's dark eyes was right. It seemed like… reverence.

 _No_ , Oliver thought, _this is no hot spring. This is something else_.

Prior to his time marooned away from Starling City, Oliver's life was rooted in certainty. He was certain everything in the world had a scientific explanation. He may not have cared to learn those explanations but he did not believe in things he could not see, smell, hear, taste, or touch. He was not fanciful or superstitious. Since his second time on Lian Yu and the events that took place there, his entire worldview changed. He had seen the shadows that moved in the darkness. He had experienced the unexplainable. He had seen the dark forces of the world at work.

Oliver could feel it the air. A headiness that could not be explained by the weather permeated the room. It was a sensation of otherworldliness. This place was special. It was somewhere mystical like the caves on Lian Yu. His heart began to flutter with anxiety.

"What is this place?" Oliver asked. He was pleased that he managed to keep the unease he felt from his voice.

"This is the seat of Ra's al Ghul, Mister Queen. Herododtus found these waters in the year 511. Ponce de Leon scoured the Earth in search of them and failed. Al-Khidr was pronounced as having mystic knowledge after he chronicled his discovery of this pool in the Qu'ran." Ra's paused, as if to allow Oliver a moment of reflection before continuing, "It was Al-Khidr's revelations that lead the first Ra's al Ghul here. And here he sat his mantle and began the League of Assassins. It has been the seat of power for Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins to dispense justice for centuries."

"Does it do something? The water?" Oliver hesitantly inquired of the bearded leader. Oliver was familiar with Ponce del Leon's search for the so-called 'Fountain of Youth', but Oliver highly doubted that was what this was. Or at least what the legend had claimed about it.

"This pool prolongs life. It has bestowed upon me years beyond your imagination," Ra's finished.

Oliver remained quiet. He was sure someone else in his place would have unleashed a torrent of questions about the waters and their qualities, but Oliver had no inclination to do so. He already suspected their origin as magical. He would get no definitive answers even if he did make inquiries.

"You do not seem skeptical of what I have told you," Ra's continued, not bothering to hide his surprise.

"My experiences… I've seen things that made me accept that the world is a bigger place than most people believe," Oliver admitted.

Ra's al Ghul nodded at Oliver with what he thought was approval.

"If you have these waters, why do you need me?" Oliver asked bluntly. It was true. If someone had some way of granting themselves immortality, why bother with finding a replacement for their position?

"The pit's powers are losing their effect on me. I guess one cannot evade death forever," the master confessed.

Oliver felt no pity for the man. Ra's al Ghul ordered his followers to murder people. If the leader had indeed lived as many years as he was implying, Oliver was glad the man was about to die.

"Even if I am about to depart this world, my legacy has already been secured for all time. It will not just be one of destruction and death, but of justice rendered. Remembered throughout history," the Demon's Head proclaimed proudly.

"And what? You think I will continue that legacy?" Oliver mocked.

"The Demon must always have a Head, Mister Queen. You survived my sword. What better heir to immortality than someone who resurrected themselves with sheer force of will?" Ra's suggested. "You have already claimed victory over death once."

Oliver had to repress an irritated roll of his eyes. "Why would I conquer my own death just to become an instrument of it in return?"

"The League is justice," Ra's stated. "You have made that your life's mission these past three years, have you not? Is your fight succeeding contained in a single city? Why settle for dispensing justice in only Starling City when your crusade could save the world?"

Oliver suppressed the budding agreement that whispered back within him. _What have I really accomplished?_ he asked himself.

"The League is not justice. You are judge, jury, and executioner," Oliver countered.

"You did not always feel that way. Have you not been executioner yourself, Mister Queen? Have you not used death as a tool to save countless people from men who would harm them?" Ra's replied smugly.

"I was wrong. That was not justice. People deserve the chance to change. I will not have people to murder in my name," Oliver answered firmly.

"Then it shall change. Ra's al Ghul's will leads all. When you succeed me, you must only speak the command and the deaths shall stop. Ra's al Ghul's word is law. Should you want the killing to end, thy will be done," Ra's al Ghul enticed.

"It's called the League of Assassins for a reason," Oliver scoffed. "You really expect me to believe that if I order the League members to stop killing, they will?"

"Service in the League is absolute. Any command given by the Demon's Head is followed swiftly and without question. Any man or woman, who hesitates, faces the consequences. As Wareeth al Ghul you will see this firsthand until you ascend to my place," Ra's said confidently.

A small part of Oliver's brain was falling under Ra's al Ghul's spell. Oliver had to admit that the temptation of changing the League and carrying his mission across the world was greater than he would like. Oliver let the turmoil coursing in him slip through his features. Oliver knew he needed Ra's to feel like he was winning.

Despite a tiny flicker in his resolve, Oliver knew that he could never lead the League of Assassins. Even if Oliver was successful in getting them to amend their policy of murder, he knew in his heart being Demon's Head was not his destiny. Selfishly, he also knew if he indeed did take up the mantle of Ra's that would mean sacrificing Felicity, Thea, Diggle, Laurel, and everyone and everything he loved in Starling City. He could never do that.

Oliver realized he had been silent for several moments. He had been lost in his own musings and had neglected to respond to Ra's al Ghul's statement. Oliver began to rattle his brain to formulate some sort of reply to the man when Ra's spoke again, sparing Oliver from the need to.

"Come. There is much to show you and much for you to learn, Mister Queen," the swarthy man commanded gently. He gestured to the armored door at Oliver's back. Oliver knew they had entered the room through it mere minutes ago, but it felt so much longer to Oliver. Maybe it was the significance of the time they had spent together in the strange room, or the revelations that had been made that made him feel that way.

Ra's strode forward past Oliver and pushed open the door a small amount. Before the Demon's Head could fully open the door himself, the sentry that had given them entry to the sacred room opened it fully. Oliver deduced that guarding this door was this particular warrior's duty and he would likely wait any amount of time to grant access and close the chamber when ordered.

Ra's al Ghul lead the way in leaving the cavernous area where he and Oliver had shared their illuminating conversation. Oliver spied the leader giving the warrior that waited at the doorway an approving nod.

The only distinguishing feature Oliver could see of the warrior's was intense green eyes beneath the person's League garments. He wondered who the sentry was and what he/she/they had done to receive what Oliver assumed was the honor of guarding this reverential chamber.

Oliver followed Ra's out of the room, but stole a momentary glance back at the room they had just exited. It was truly awe-inspiring. He wondered what other mysteries this journey held in store for him. He could only hope that none of them prevented him from achieving his goal. Oliver would do whatever it took to dismantle the League of Assassins. It was the only option if he was to defend himself, the ones he loves, and the city he vowed to protect... Right?

 *****F/N:** I hope this chapter was okay. If you want to keep up-to-date with the progress of this story, my twitter for fan-fiction is slayerchick303.


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